Security services smear against Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement

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Security services smear against Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement

This morning we wrote to the minister in charge of security services, Andrew Little, to demand an apology for a report on the Wellington parliament protest which identifies supporters of one single national ethnic group, Palestinians, as part of the Wellington protest in the context of possible politically-motivated violent extremist attacks (PMVE) in the wake of the clearance of the protest from parliament.

The CTAG report is racist, reckless and dangerous as we explain in the letter.

 

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa 

9 May 2022

Andrew Little

Minister of Security Services

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Parliament Buildings

Wellington

 

a.little@ministers.govt.nz

 

Dear Mr Little,

 

Security services smear against Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement

We are writing to request an apology for the nasty smear against Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement by a Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) report into the Wellington parliamentary protest.

The report was released to Newshub through the Official Information Act and looks at how “politically-motivated violent extremists” (PMVEs) could react as a result of the protest clearance at parliament.

The report identifies “pro-Palestinian” protestors – the only national ethnic grouping so identified in this context of potential security threats. This is a nasty repugnant smear on Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement.

There was a Palestinian flag being held at one point during the occupation but the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has no idea who that person was. We tried to identify them from the livestream but couldn’t – if we had we would have told them to put the flag away. For all we know it could have been a deliberate plant.

What we do know is there was an Israeli flag carried at the protest during the clearance of the occupation but somehow it escaped the attention of our security services.

The pro-Israel lobby in New Zealand, with which the security services meet regularly and have a cosy relationship, has been trying for many years to denigrate the Palestine solidarity movement with repugnant smears of anti-semitism and claims of support for terrorism. Now we have the Police, SIS and the National Assessments Bureau doing the pro-Israel’s lobby’s dirty work for it.

Perhaps this is why the Israeli flag was overlooked.

It will possibly come as a surprise to the security services that six Palestinians were killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks on 2019. Following this up with repulsive smears – guilt by association – against Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists in their assessment of the Wellington occupation is reckless and dangerous. It is a not-so-subtle hint to white supremacists and their fellow travellers that Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists are their enemy.

As well as pro-Israel supporters, also present at the Wellington protest were National Party supporters, New Zealand First supporters, Labour Party members, pro-Israel supporters and supporters from dozens of other groups. But the security services chose to identity supporters of one vulnerable national ethnic grouping – Palestinians – for special mention in the context of possible PMVE attacks.

If the CTAG report had mentioned “pro-Israel” supporters in this context of possible PMVE attacks the pro-Israel lobby would denounce this as anti-semitism, the Israeli ambassador would demand a meeting with the government and the Prime Minister would issue an apology.

Why should Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement expect anything less from our government?

Please respond without unnecessary delay.

Nā,

John Minto

National Chair

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

 

10 COMMENTS

  1. Anti-Semitism is real but the way that it’s get used today to shield ‘Apartheid Israel’s’ crimes against humanity weakens it’s true meaning!

    Free Palestine

  2. indeed it is stephen you only have to look at wherboos and holocaust deniers/minimizers…but critisism of the state of isreal isn’t it and frankly waving 6million corpses to cover present behaviour is just disrespectful to the murdered.

    • The Holocaust happened because there was no Israel. As for the above drek, I’m sure Mr Little filed it straight into the waste paper basket. All pro Palestinian rent-a-mobs are latently violent.

      • so gaby you agree criticism of the policies of the current Israeli state is not the same as murdering 6million innocents?

  3. Yes, anti – Jewish material, such as the Procotols of Zionism Elders, and Anti – Holocaust documents, are still taught in many Arab nations…

    • indeed nathan if they stopped to think the holocaust was a driver for the creation of the state of isreal, thus hitler was the architect of their misfortune not a hero, but as it’s about the celebration of the killing of jews for them that never occurs to them.

      but it’s kinda amusing the way so many former jew haters in the US have become born again zionists innit

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