Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad

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  • noizyboy,

    That indymedia site is great. I love this from "Michael de Angelo", channeling Rik from the Young Ones...

    Its time to rise get off your asses and fight against the hitlers new regieme called the NZ Govt. The Gestapo (NZ Police) need to learn that we as the people of this land will not bow down to dictatorship nor to corruption of our rights. We will not lay down but we will fight for our freedom. All Power To The People.

    Right on!

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 171 posts Report

  • BenWilson,

    Heh, this story is big news for NZ. Which is one of the good things about NZ.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Don Christie,

    I find the political restraint shown by all parties (so far) is welcome. I wonder how this sort of event would play out elsewhere. Election year in Australia, for example.

    Seems like a pretty sensitive issue to me.

    Not read kiwiblog recently but I also wonder how the resident nut jobs there are feeling. I distinctly remember a post from Mr, Redbaiter calling for folks to take to the hills with guns and to defend their freedoms. Are they in all out support mode for those arrested?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Not read kiwiblog recently but I also wonder how the resident nut jobs there are feeling. I distinctly remember a post from Mr, Redbaiter calling for folks to take to the hills with guns and to defend their freedoms. Are they in all out support mode for those arrested?

    There did seem to be a few of them demanding to know what all the fuss was ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • djb,

    I think the sentiments on chilling out are probably a bit easier to make if you don't live in Ruatoki and have armed police searching your school buses... but I appreciate the historical background. We should be asking where the Weapons of Mass Destruction are though, all that's shown up so far is hunting gear.

    Can't help but wonder whether the police were thinking that they needed a way to get back onto the front pages "protecting public safety" rather than for sexual assaults - nothing like public fear of Maori activists and "hippies" (as they were bizarrely described on RNZ) to help with that PR work.

    Since Dec 2006 • 9 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    On a pedantic note, isn't "sectarian" conflict between religious groups, or sects? Violence in Iraq is sectarian (Sunni vs Shia), violence in Northern Ireland is sectarian (Protestant vs Catholic), but I wouldn't characterise a struggle between Maori nationalists and the state as sectarian.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Ben Austin,

    It does seems a little otherworldly from afar, I wonder how long this will take to get play in the world newspapers, and if it makes the "oddly enough" or the real news section? My bet is I'll read about in the Guardian Saturday edition in a week or two. Title something along the lines of "trouble in paradise"

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    the Dom Post's story this morning points out ... but – without the powers conferred by the Terrorism Suppression Act, which only came into force in 2002...

    Now, if only the Terrorism Suppression Act had actually created such powers...

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Now, if only the Terrorism Suppression Act had actually created such powers...

    I wondered about that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Big ups to Sean Plunkett this morning.

    Gotta say this shit scares me and I don't trust the cops have got it right.

    Was it all to get the bill through parliment?

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • George Pollard,

    ...this post from another forum...

    Hey hey, credit where it’s due ;)

    Wellington • Since Oct 2007 • 2 posts Report

  • Sonic,

    I can sort of see the cops getting nervous about Maori activists clambering around the hills, and about some anarcho greenies planning to disrupt happy valley or whatever.

    What escapes me is how these two divergent groups could be linked together. They do not seem like natural allies.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 102 posts Report

  • Sonic,

    First person bailed

    "Judge Josephine Bouchier said that on the evidence before her at the moment, Lockett could not be considered to pose such a significant danger to the public that he should be in custody."


    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10470129

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 102 posts Report

  • BenWilson,

    For once, catching up on this on PA took longer than on Kiwiblog. For starters, most of the PA posts were worth reading. Kiwiblog threads on it so far are a parody of themselves.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Andrew Paul Wood,

    It made BBC World last night (insomnia you see). I think it's a little early to be passing sweeping judgments on who is right and who is wrong at this stage. From Auckland and Wellington I think it is very easy to dismiss out of hand some of the very intense feelings in the rural and provincial areas. Remember the Coelisi virus - that's serious organisation.

    Christchurch • Since Jan 2007 • 175 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Smack in the face for the cops - Lockett has got bailed.

    He seems to be the one about to wage war on NZ

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • George Darroch,

    Correction due: the list of items in the scoop photograph linked to actually relates to an Auckland address - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00222.htm

    My apologies for posting that pic to the system without providing the context!

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

  • Alastair Jamieson,

    anarcho greenies planning to disrupt happy valley or whatever

    Regardless of any anarchic tendencies, I don't think you could accuse the greenies of 'disrupting' Happy Valley, compared to Solid Energy's dismal scheme for the place...

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 99 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    The bit at the bottom of the Scoop article George Darroch linked to might explain the "peace activist" link.

    One of the flatmates of the raided Symond’s St apartment, Gary Cranston, said that six police raided the house in the morning.

    He also said that while he was not involved with planning the upcoming training camp in the past they have involved teaching campaigning skills, media skills and there have definitely been no weapons.

    “We are peace activists,” he said.

    If I were a committed peace activist maybe I would regard teaching non-violent techniques to other groups as a very proper thing to do.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    On a pedantic note, isn't "sectarian" conflict between religious groups, or sects? ...I wouldn't characterise a struggle between Maori nationalists and the state as sectarian.

    a maori-state struggle isn't sectarian. you might be able to characterise it as "anti-colonial" or "revolutionary". semantics and pendantics are important in this kind of situation because they let you know who and why people are fighting.

    but in graeme's defence, he was alluding to maori nationalists and something like aggrieved farmers.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Andrew Paul Wood,

    Isn't "peace activist" a bit of an oxymoron?

    Christchurch • Since Jan 2007 • 175 posts Report

  • Andrew Paul Wood,

    And I wince every time anyone's lawyer tries to make a direct link between this and Parihaka. The Government can't maintain a position for one term, little own 128 years.

    Christchurch • Since Jan 2007 • 175 posts Report

  • kmont,

    Isn't "peace activist" a bit of an oxymoron?

    Why? Only violence has an active component?
    I will grant you that "vigorously peaceful" has a funny ring to it.......

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 485 posts Report

  • Andrew Paul Wood,

    Surely you need to be actively at war in order to aggitate for peace?

    Christchurch • Since Jan 2007 • 175 posts Report

  • Michael Stevens,

    Interesting posts about all this up on Bomber's Tumeke site.

    It's always so hard to judge this sort of thing from the outside - are the Police being way too heavy-handed, or are they being prudent?
    I just don't have the information to make an informed judgement yet.

    But reports of napalm bombs fill me with a certain degree of unease, no matter what the context.

    So I'm going to wait and see.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 230 posts Report

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