Aotearoa Independent Media Centre

Preparations for New Zealands first Climate Camp are going well with people moving onto the site yesterday. Campers spent the day setting up some of the infrastructure required for the camp including the kitchen and storage tents. As the day progressed water lines could be seen snaking across the field, solar panels popped up next to tents and by the end of the day hot food was being prepared in the kitchen. The site is perfect, large trees dot the field, a river with swimming holes runs beside the camp and there is easy vehicular access.

Climate camp officially kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday) and will be going until the 21^st.

Saturday 12th began with the NOAH Flood for Climate Justice Demonstration which started at 10am and marched, danced and waved to Christiansborg Slotsplads (the Parliament Square) [photo report] where at 1pm it merged with the 12dec Demo which included a CJA group.  It soon became clear that it was a massive concentration, with estimates quickly reaching 100,000 protestors; it was a part of a Global Day of Action on climate change.  Meanwhile a separate action called by Never Trust a COP (NTAC) initially gathered in Højbro Plads.

Police Make Indiscriminate Mass Arrests

At around 3.15pm the police charged into the march near to where the CJA System Change not Climate Change group had joined the march, as well as people from the Ntac called demonstration. They cut off hundreds of people including many who were marching as part of Libertarian Socialist bloc [Pics 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | report | personal account | video: 1 | 2 | 3]. By 5pm several hundred had been handcuffed and made to sit on the floor, where they remain in the cold for hours. The police's press office reports that those arrested today are between 700-900 people - See AerialTwitpic. See CJA Press Release

For updates see Indymedia Timeline | icop15 aggregation | cop15live video

More timelines: Modkraft.dk [dk | en] | Motkraft. net [sv | en] | La Haine [es] | nocop Italy imc

Meanwhile, Climate Camp will start in Moonshine park (Upper Hutt) on Wednesday with the set-up of the camp and a first camp meeting at 4pm that day. [ More Information ]

The UN Cop15 Climate Conference is due to take place in Copenhagen from 7th-18th December. Billed as the last chance to save our future, is it any wonder that people are getting angry? Recently the 350.org campaign clearly represented people's desire to dramatically reduce emissions across the world, yet we've seen such mass displays of political expression before, such as the global anti-war demonstrations in 2003 which seemed to have little impact upon Governments. But it's not just about emissions. Those in the global south who have contributed least to the problem are now facing the effects. Increasingly climate campaigners are saying that we cannot trust the market with our future and that we must not rely upon 'false solutions'.

Climate Camp Aotearoa will take place in Wellington from 16th to 21st December 2009 to coincide with the Cop15 meeting. A site has been confirmed - it gets all day sun, is accessable by public transport and is only 30 minutes away from Wellington City Centre. The exact site location will be revealed on the 8th of December.

See coverage at: Indymedia DK | Climate IMC | Imcuk Cop15 Section | Act For Climate - Twitter

Last night members of the Stop Rape Culture Now! Collective held a protest at a National Party Meeting at which Nick Smith was speaking. Around a dozen people held a picket outside the event holding Banners such as “National Supports Rape Culture” and “Men Against Gender Violence”. Throughought the night a megaphone was put to good use with chants clearly audible inside the boat club. Nick Smith had to raise his voice whenever chanting started back up and made several comments about the noise. The meeting was also attended by around a hundred motorcyclists angry at proposed increases to ACC levys.

The passage of the Corrections (Contract Management of Prisons) Amendment Bill last week is a disaster for anyone concerned about a safer, more humane and just society. It represents nothing less than a return to the age of human slavery. Private prisons turn inmates into commodities.

The profit motive is the singular distinguishing feature of a private prison system. It changes the nature of the prison system, and more broadly, the criminal justice system. All other objections brought by reformers and opponents of privatisation could easily be made of the public system in varying degrees. This is not to excuse the private system from these objections; it is only to say that the entire prison system, regardless of who runs it, is deeply flawed founded as it is for social control of the poor and marginalised in society.

Following Sunday’s attack on NZDF soldiers in Bamiyan, John Key said:
“The troops were carrying out work essential to the stabilisation of the war-torn country” and further that, “the attack would not force him to reconsider the deployment.”

Both of these statements are bizarre in their own way, and further evidence of the kind of political double-speak we should now be accustomed to hearing in relation to Afghanistan.

It was the Provincial Reconstruction Team that was engaged in what was described as a ‘gunfight with insurgents’ not as some might imagine, the SAS troops. The PRT has been stationed in one of the most remote, and therefore theoretically ‘safest’ parts of the country. Helen Clark made sure of that, as she knew all too well that soldiers coming home in body bags would be a very bad look for the Labour government. She, nevertheless, was absolutely committed to solidifying the US-NZ relationship and playing war with the big boys is a great way to score points in Washington.

What is most extraordinary about Key’s statement is that in the 6 years that the PRT has been in Bamiyan it has clearly become LESS stable, not more. When the NZDF first went there, it was not even on the Taliban radar screen. The idea that a PRT is somehow making things more secure for Afghanis is fanciful, as to some extent the PRT must be responsible for the increase in Taliban activity there.

Monday October 19 was a national day of action against ACC's proposed changes to funding for sexual abuse counseling. Under the new criteria, survivors will only be eligible for ACC covered counseling if they have been diagnosed as having a mental injury, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV.

In Auckland, over 200 people gathered in Albert Park to show their support for survivors and protest the ACC cuts to counseling. Speakers from Rape Prevention Education, Courageous Women, Labour Party, the Greens and End Rape Culture Now! (the organisers of the march) spoke about the importance of this issue and why it is necessary to oppose these new changes to ACC. [ More ]

In Wellington, about 200 people gathered at the Cenotaph in Lambton Quay, and rallied in front of parliament. Protestors left messages chalked in front of parliament building. The march then moved on to the ACC offices in Molesworth Street, which was protected by a handful of cops and security goons. A representative read out a list of demands to ACC. Protestors left post-it notes and chalk messages on the street-face of the building to explicate the positions of abuse survivors in the crowd.[ More ]

Around 150-200 people gathered for a march in Christchurch. Speakers included Ken Clearwater from Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust and Marie Meyer, Chairperson for Canterbury and Westcoast NZ Association of Counsellors.[ More ]

In dunedin around 50 people from all walks of life marched from ACC offices to the National Party headquarters and then to the octagon to listen to speakers talk about the impact these changes will have. [ More ]

Two years ago to the day, New Zealand woke to the so-called 'Terror Raids'. Police Operation 8 was in full swing; Ruatoki was locked down, a school bus was stopped, other children were held in sheds and over 60 different places across the country were raided. 17 people ended up remanded in custody. It took a month for all of them to get bail. Remember 15th October 2007 - Drop the charges!

The long-awaited Explosive Expressions Art Exhibition opened at Thistle Hall on Tuesday night in Wellington with crowds gathered outside waiting for the doors to open before the 6pm advertised time. The artworks have been viewable on-line for some weeks now, but were well worth queueing to get into the Gallery to see face-to-paint. [ More ]

The October 15th Solidarity group asks "Is it an act of provocation and arrogance or just simple ignorance that the Justice and Electoral Select Committee is meeting on the 15th of October to hear submissions on the Search and Surveillance Bill? [...] This bill legalises the dodgy and arguably illegal police tactics used in Operation 8. It is not at all extreme to suggest that this law creates a police state. The Parliamentary response to police breaking the law should not be to retrospectively legalise what they have done and give them more power." [ More ]

Christian peace activist Tyler Culpepper appeared in the Manukau District court yesterday charged with wilful damage and being unlawfully on a building. These charges were a result of a protest action in January this in which Tyler altered the front of an arms component factory so it said “Rakon Kills”. Tyler had taken this action to express his deeply held opposition against Israel’s invasion of GAZA. The January invasion resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the widespread bombing of heavily populated areas.

Tylers hearing was well attended with a mini protest camp springing up outside. A gas stove provided constant cups of tea and Lasagne and Cake where served throughout the day. Around a dozen children and young people were present throughout the day playing tag outside and around the court building. One young child threw court protocol to the wind at one stage running past the lawyers completely oblivious to arcane rules and institutions. He was unfortunately foiled in his attempt to offer the judge a chip. The three “Waihopai Dome Busters” were present throughout the day offering support for Tyler.