A rally and picnic has been organised in opposition the National Front and assorted other far right and fascist groups who are coming to Wellington this weekend. "If you oppose racism and fascism come to the demonstration and let the fascists know they are not welcome!" says Anti-Fascist Action Wellington. Meet at the Cenotaph, 10am Saturday 25th October 2008.

"It is important that we show them they will not be allowed to organise without opposition. While they are tiny and insignificant compared to the organised racism of the Labour Party and the NZ Police, they are still worthy of our attention. Fascists cannot be allowed to organise and recruit openly in the streets without opposition."

Links: fightdemback.org | Demonstration against racism and fascism | Neo-Nazis staying at Lower Hutt Top 10 Holiday | Stop The Immigration Bill!

Wellington Indymedia collective & NZ Film Archive film screening:

Fallujah (30 min)
&
Iraq for Sale (50 min) At The Film Archive, corner of Ghuznee and Taranaki Streets, Wellington
7 pm, Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October
$8/$6 waged/unwaged

More

Protest against Labour's Immigration Bill.

Capital moves freely, why shouldn't workers?

Labour's Immigration Amendment Bill would allow for arbitrary and indefinite detention. While in keeping with our history of Dawn Raids and the detention of Ahmed Zaoui, this is an atrocity, condemned by the Human Rights Commission and others.

The Workers Party is preparing a submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review concerning workers' rights and this bill in particular.

The bill has not yet passed. In advance of the elections, time to make sure Labour & co know what we think of it.

WELLINGTON 12pm, Sunday 2 November

Parliament Buildings

Molesworth Street

Links: Immigration Amendment Bill: assaulting civil liberties and limiting workers’ freedom | Labour's Human Rights Nightmare | Keith Locke New Immigration Bill a bureaucrat's Paradise

The long depositions hearing for 18 of the the Operation 8 defendants has finally finished, with Judge Perkins today committing 17 of them to face trial.

1 of the arrestees, Rongomai Bailey, had all charges against him dropped. [ Video interview with Bailey from NZ Herald ]

The other 17 arrestees will all face trial, possibly in late 2009 or early 2010. A large number of the charges against the remaining defendants have been dropped. While previously the 18 collectively faced 343 charges under the Arms Act, all charges relating to the camps alleged to have been held in November, April and August have been dropped, heavily reducing the total number of charges.

National leader John Key advocates that the Super Fund invests in up to 40% New Zealand companies. A good place to start would be by cleaning out deeply unethical international investments. The Super Fund currently invests in a plethora of companies involved with environmental destruction and the production of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.

“We have long been lobbying for the Fund to divest from US Corporation, Freeport McMoran Copper and Gold and its joint venture partner, Rio Tinto Inc because of the irreparable harm these companies are doing to the environment and the people of Indonesian controlled West Papua,” said Maire Leadbeater speaking for the Indonesian Human Rights Committee. More

Previous indymedia stories:
18 September 2008 West Papuan Guerillas Demand Closure of Freeport Mine | 18 August 2008 Papuan tribal chief to sue mining giant Freeport | 4th August 2008 Report from Demo Against Superfund Investments in Freeport | March 21st 2007 Protest Against Superfund | December 2nd 2006 West Papuan independence day demo outside Superfund

The weekend before the election, join the rally for a decent minimum wage- $15ph NOW!

Saturday November 1st. 2pm Aotea Square, Queen Street, Central Auckland

In recent months, low paid people have taken strike action in casinos, banks, fastfood outlets, supermarkets and on the busses. Low pay is crippling a generation of workers who are now expected to bear the brunt of a vicious global recession.

It's time the resistance gathered.

We're not going to pay for their crisis.
We're not going to endure low pay anymore.
A new generation is going to resist the Global Recession and fight the greedy rich and their corporations.

Join the Rally Against Low Pay, and if the numbers are there, join us on an anti capitalist tour of Auckland's meanest bosses and their lackeys.

It's time to fight back as a class! [More info]

Indymedia links: Locked Out Welly Bus Drivers Stand Strong | Workers across Auckland fight huge rats | Airport Foodcourt Workers Strike Against Medieval Conditions | McStrikes Spread to Hamilton | Low-paid workers strike and protest at multiple stores

Today, Christchurch's paper, The Press has an interview with Awhitia Kohu and Moko Hillman, two Ruatoki residents terrorised by heavily armed Police during last year's October 15 raids. Neither Awhitia or Moko were arrested in the raids but they still had their house searched and were, along with their children, forced out of their homes whilst being 'painted' by rifle laser sights. The Police also searched their 15 year old daughter at gunpoint.

To quote from the article:

"At about five o'clock in the morning I heard a crash and a bang outside," said Kohu. "I went outside on my deck, through the sliding door … and I had all these little red spots all over me.

"The police were yelling out: `put your hands up'."

The red dots were the night-sights used by the police, who were armed with automatic weapons.

The article continues:

"Me and my children were escorted out onto the road. They already had dragged their father outside onto the road, and then the kids saw him getting cuffed, " Kohu said.

"They had him up against the bank and the kids are crying, carrying on, freaking, we don't know what's happening."

Hillman was taken to Rotorua for questioning.

This article should be read by everyone. It succinctly and vividly describes the terror forced on the Tuhoe people by the NZ Police. [Full article]

This morning life-sized posters of Helen Clark dressed as a 'ninja cop' appeared throughout Wellington. Today is the one year anniversary of gun-toting and armoured police terrorising people around the country in the name of terror prevention. Around 60 houses were raided at dawn, an entire community was locked down, and 17 activists were arrested on firearms charges in the NZ police's failed first attempt to use anti-terror law. [Public Art in Remembrance of 15 Oct 2007]

In Ruatoki, the community that was completely locked down and terrorised during the raids, there will four days of Stalls, Music, Movies, Activities, Art Display, Launching CD, Guest Speakers, Whakawhiti Korero, Krumping Competition, Photographs of the Raids at the Te Rewarewa Marae, Ruatoki, Te Urewera from 15th-18th October More

Auckland Come down to Aotea Square from 5:30pm tonight (October 15) for some fun and games to contrast the trauma and oppression felt on this same day a year ago. Food Not Bombs will provide food and hot drink, there will be music, and there will be mega twister! Bring your friends, family, blankets to picnic on, and all your usual banners and things if you like.

There will also be a solidarity picket outside Auckland District Court this Friday 17th October from 9.30am-10.30am. On Friday the Judge will be releasing his decision whether or not those arrested in the raids have to face trial. [More]

In Melbourne there is a picket of the NZ Consulate taking place on Wednesday October 15th at 1pm. More