Urewera 10 years on – any lessons to remember?
On the 10th anniversary of the Urewera raids we should recount the lessons – and we should remember.
Breathless police and media commentary about a cocktail of napalm bombs, terrorist cells, guns, ammunition, Maori extremists, guerrilla warfare, assassination threats against politicians, greeted the public on the 15th October 2007. You name it – the police claimed it and the media hyped it.
From the 17 arrests and the dozens searched and detained – illegally as it turned out – just four people were charged with illegal possession of firearms – two were jailed and two given home detention.
The progressive left was quick to hit back against the hysterical police narrative and bring some semblance of sanity and common sense to the public debate. This was highly successful and within 24 hours some elements of the media and much of the public were expressing scepticism concerning the police claims.
We worked with Tuhoe activists to organise marches and public demonstrations highlighting the appalling police behaviour and calling for a reigning in of the surveillance state.
Subsequent developments showed we were right – the police had overreacted and dramatically overreached. They should have taken concerns about military style camps in the Urewera seriously and sent in a Maori liaison officer to find out what was happening and why.
Instead, the police deliberately side-lined their community officers in favour of a dramatic $8 million surveillance operation which they hoped would bring public justification for the massive increase in police (and SIS) powers and resources in the wake of the US September 11 attacks. New Zealand had become a surveillance state and these raids would show that while we didn’t have Islamic extremists, we had our own home-grown terrorists.
A lot of that initial response from the left was instinctive. We knew most of the people the police were claiming as terrorists and knew this was at least a gross over-reaction to whatever had been going on.
The most important lesson from the Urewera raids is to always be sceptical of state agencies who often have their own non-public-interest justifications for what they do.
On the other side I don’t think it’s too cynical to say the main lesson the police will have learnt is NOT that they got it wrong and couldn’t tell the difference between a bullshit conversation in a car and a credible terrorist threat but that it was a failure of PR to prepare carefully enough.
Tuhoe have their own lessons which they have been speaking about in the past few days.
It’s worth remembering too the long list of legislation passed by successive Labour and National governments to extend the surveillance state on the pretext of keeping us safe. Instead it has turned this country into a surveillance state where civil liberties and the right to privacy take second place to the powers of Big Brother to intrude into our lives.
On ‘media watch’ yesterday, one of the best programmes on Nat Radio they played a piece from the time of Duncan Garner saying someone close to what was happening told him there had been napalm let off. Now wouldn’t it be nice if Duncan Garner fronted up and said who that someone was at the time. This was the biggest beat up and big fat lie that the police have never really been answerable for. How did napalm get into the picture. Every kiwi should watch ‘operation 8’ and see how our police and secret service bullshit their way to more legislation and more money.
Once again thank you John.
It is a great shame that the Right wing cannot see the truth of the matter.
Typical terror tactics of the white supremacist, male European, who must be stamped out, first dehumanized – stripped of his self-awarded superiority, pretensions to the “cannon” and to culture!
I don’t want to gaslight, but we really must block the attempts to close in on our open society at every opportunity.
As a genetic male who identifies as a woman but who dresses as a man I have total authority (but please don’t ask me what my “previous job” was).
Corporate Colonisation.
A terrible spectre. A many headed beast without soul, spirit, class, humour, wit or intellect.
I have been in several different countries, and continents, in the last few months. They still have human values;- humour, culture, honour, soul, class, spirit and dignity. It is in New Zealand where something has gone terribly wrong. Yep three feds a day, a good crap, and the telly and a few beers to make it more pleasant, mate. State TV is soulless drivel, that is destined to destroy the last vestiges of your fragile mind. Still its better when the meds finally kick in. Korporate Kolonialism
mate. Cunt see anything better on the horizon, or the telly for that matter, mate.
Time for a wank break to the Kadarshians. And what a supreme cultural experience! Borrowed from America, who cares. White trash is white trash everywhere. I raise my tinny to Korporate Kolonialism. Mateeeyyy…
Kim Kardashian poses as ‘America’s New First Lady’ with North West …
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/kim-kardashian-interview-magazine-north-west-americas-first-new-lady-kanye-jackie-kennedy-a7917006.html
Aug 28, 2017 … With a TV reality star actually in the White House, the presidential title … Melania Trump as America’s First Lady and Kim Kardashian West?
Let is also remember the anniversary of the Dotcom Mansion raid, once that one is upon us. Massive abuse of state power, and endless breaches of human rights, in a country where governments like to decorate themselves with talk about how transparent, honest, least corrupt and humane we are supposed to be. Rule of law, human rights, Bill of Rights Act, yeah right.
The truth always looks a bit less appealing.