The Auckland Protest

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 pm, July 27th, 2013 - 49 comments
Categories: activism, david cunliffe, david shearer, greens, labour, Politics - Tags: ,

Following R0b’s post here are some photos from the Auckland protest.  There were thousands in attendance and there was a passionate and angry mood to the protest.  All due credit to Martyn Bradbury, Mana and Global Peace and Justice for doing all of the heavy lifting.  There needs to be work on a broad coalition though if the effects of the dissent are going to be maximised.

David Shearer spoke well and advocated that we all copy John Key into any complaints that we have about breaches of our privacy. For those who do not know his email it is john dot key at parliament dot govt dot nz. Labour MPs David Cunliffe, Darien Fenton, Carol Beaumont and Phil Twyford [EDIT and Sua William Sio] were there in support.

Gareth Hughes spoke well also and suggested that Kim Dotcom should become Kim Dotcodotnz. This suggestion was met with applause.

Martyn Bradbury coordinated things well and struck a chord when he said that his three year old daughter did not deserve to be spied upon just because her father was an activist.

John Minto and Jane Kelsey spoke with their usual passion.

All in all a good march. It was organised on a shoe string and quickly. It is really important that the momentum that is clearly building is maintained.

So the debate needs to be where to from here?

GCSB protest-7

GCSB protest-15

GCSB protest-17

GCSB protest-20

 

49 comments on “The Auckland Protest ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tracey 1
    27 July 2013 at 8:02 pm

    Keep marching keep meeting and keep opposing. Need to use more examples of how an ordinary person can be affected. Too many think it wont affect them.

    when I was at high school in the 80s and then uni… legislation like this was used to show why russia was so evil… so lets find some of what old russia used to do and maks comparison s

    • handle 1.1
      27 July 2013 at 11:18 pm

      Because the cold war will really resonate with today’s voters.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1
        27 July 2013 at 11:28 pm

        People over 40 will remember the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall really well. Especially given the daily threat of nuclear annhilation and NZ’s position on being nuclear free.

      • tracey 1.1.2
        28 July 2013 at 3:05 pm

        Have a look at voting demographic handle. Was impressed by the number of folks there in late teens and early 20s

      • tracey 1.1.3
        28 July 2013 at 3:05 pm

        Have a look at voting demographic handle. Was impressed by the number of folks there in late teens and early 20s

  2. weka 2
    27 July 2013 at 8:13 pm

    My fav placard so far is “Read the Treaty, not my emails”.

    “Dear John, I can smell the uranium” is good too.

    • Martin 2.1
      27 July 2013 at 10:21 pm

      I thought that one was pretty good too considering Lange built Waihopai in the first place.

  3. Alanz 3
    27 July 2013 at 8:16 pm

    How about a fortnightly ‘Stop GCSB bill’ Saturday afternoon fiesta with food, crafts, songs and dances for whanau and friends until the repugnant GCSB laws that John Key wants to inflict on us gets reversed?

  4. man.u 4
    27 July 2013 at 8:46 pm

    Was Martyn Bradbury spied on?

    • lprent 4.1
      27 July 2013 at 10:35 pm

      Question is: how would you find out?

      • TheContrarian 4.1.1
        27 July 2013 at 11:46 pm

        Why would anyone spy on a hack like Bradbury? And to what end? The guy can’t take a shit without posting about its texture on twitter.

        • lprent 4.1.1.1
          28 July 2013 at 12:14 am

          Because of who he associates with. Same as anyone else. Remember that we aren’t talking about the brightest sparks in nz here. The people who get involved in the security apparatus from the police specialist units to the GCSB are more notable for their paranoia than their intelligence.

          These security bigots are the fools who have spent vast amounts of effort infiltrating and collecting information on animal rights activists on the basis of nothing much more than a few hyper inflated imaginations from the movie industry… ARA’s are noisy, often obnoxious puritians of exactly the same type who “destroyed” property rights in the abolitionist movement 200+ years ago. Hardly a danger to society. Yet I have seen quite senior police make careers out of chasing them. One way to earn a living.. Idiots pursuing the innocuous.

          Or Jane Kelsey and the anti-TPP academics. Some security fools felt the need to bug them.

          Keith Locke’s SIS file FFS…

          There appears to be no lower depths to the stupidly and paranoia of the type of people who get into security. With having such fools trying to stifle and limit debate, it pays to always assume that you are being monitored because they tend to use their bigotry (think redbaiter) rather than their brains when assessing “risks”.

          Ummm – anyone I haven’t pissed off 😈

          • man.u 4.1.1.1.1
            28 July 2013 at 8:11 am

            I get this.

            But Bomber probably wishes he was being spied on, and in reality is not.

            So the only person using his daughter in this scenario is himself.

            • Molly 4.1.1.1.1.1
              28 July 2013 at 9:56 am

              Having concern for the effect on your children of your actions is a normal – and continuous – part of everyday parenting. If you are implying exploitation – as I think you are – I completely disagree.

              To me, he expressed his concern for the consequences to his daughter, because of his active political discourse and engagement, and brought up the completely relevant fact that Keith Locke had an SIS file opened on him when he was only ten years old. Due to the political actions of his parents.

              His comments were not only appropriate for the discussion, his concerns are likely shared by many in the audience who weigh up the costs of active democratic participation.

  5. karol 5
    27 July 2013 at 8:47 pm

    Shearer was succinct and clear, which is probably the best approach at a demo.

    However, for watching at my leisure at home, the vid of Jane Kelsey’s speech was riveting (in spite of the scratchy sound system).

    Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? Nails that one.

    Some important info about TPP and surveillance.

    When the news broke about 88 Kiwis having been spied on by the GCSB, journos rang Kelsey and asked if she was one of the people spied upon. Her response: “How would I know? It’s a secret.”

    Although, she guesses she was, even though she has done nothing illegal.

      • Jenny 5.1.1
        28 July 2013 at 12:36 am

        Jane Kelsey’s speech was inspiring. She laid out the iniquity and treachery of this bill. The Trans Pacicfic Partnership Agreement is a treaty that will bind, for all time, the hands of elected governments of this country from acting in the interests of its people, if is not in the interests of big foreign corporations. In fact signing up to the TPPA does the opposite, and compels democratic governments to act against their people’s interests in the benefit of big foreign corporations. As signatories under the TPPA if any future New Zealand government does decide to act in their people’s interests, and not the corporations. Then under the TPPA the government and country will be fined by an international court made up of the representatives of these corporations. The amount of these fines could be in the region of $billions of dollars, calculated on how much money these corporations will lose if a government acted against their interests.

        To protect this complete and treacherous sell out of this country’s sovereignty, laws and resources to foreign interests, of course the traitors responsible through their agents in the security services will be spying on Jane Kelsey. They will be using all their incredible powers to try and undermine her and others efforts to protect us from the TPPA.

        One of their primary efforts will be going into subverting and pressuring political parties.

        The current leadership of the Labour Party giving into this pressure, support this international treaty which is clearly not in the interests of the majority of New Zealanders.

        The message in Jane Kelsey’s speech is clear. That to support the TPPA, is to also support the GCSB bill. The two things go hand in hand. One complements the other.

        At the end of Jane Kelsey’s speech she struck up a spirited chant of “Kill the Bill!”, “Kill the Bill!”, “Kill the Bill”. Which was enthusiastically taken up by the crowd.

        This understanding goes a long way to explaining the Labour Party’s ambivalence to this bill.

        At the end of David Shearer’s speech I half expected him to try and strike up a desperate chant of “Review the Bill!”, “Review the Bill!”, “Review the Bill!”. Such a chant would have got no take up at all. And is probably why he didn’t take the opportunity.

        • Arfamo 5.1.1.1
          28 July 2013 at 12:59 am

          I watched David Shearer on YouYube. Sound quality issues aside, to my surprise he spoke really well, he made it clear Labour will replace this Bill, what he had to say went down really well with the crowd, and he seemed quite relaxed and even witty in his delivery.

          I’m gonna give him another fortnight. He still looks untidy.

        • Wayne 5.1.1.2
          28 July 2013 at 8:42 am

          Except Labour will support TPP, its the Greens who hate it with a passion.

          In any event a Labour Party that let Jane Kelsey dictate their policies would stay in opposition, it would turn off all middle voters.

          • Veutoviper 5.1.1.2.1
            28 July 2013 at 9:00 am

            Wayne says “In any event a Labour Party that let Jane Kelsey dictate their policies would stay in opposition, it would turn off all middle voters.” My bold.

            Dr Mapp, where is your evidence that “it would turn off all middle voters”?

            I have been a swing middle voter most of my long voting life. I decide who to vote for on the basis of their policies, trustworthiness – and what is IMO best for NZ and most NZers.

            I, for one, have great respect for Jane Kelsey, Dame Anne Salmond and many others who are speaking out against the GCSB Bill.

            Your “it would turn off all middle voters” is just a well-known, longstanding National PR tactic intended to imply to middle voters that they are not ‘normal’ if they are not turned off.

            Shipley did the same years ago often using the expression “All NZer….” and similar.

            This angered me to the pont that I wrote to her and told her that unless she had my express permission to be included in such statements, to please use “All Nzers except (my name)…”.

            Needless to say that I got no reply.

          • Tautoko Viper 5.1.1.2.2
            28 July 2013 at 9:02 am

            I think that you might be surprised, Wayne. Asset sales, having laws being dictated or heavily influenced by USA corporates, miserable treatment of beneficiaries and laws rammed through under urgency and without due process are a much bigger turn-off. I Key is an embarrassment.

  6. Pete 6
    27 July 2013 at 9:11 pm

    What’s with the Minecraft creeper in the second photo?

  7. Colonial Viper 7
    27 July 2013 at 9:19 pm

    I think Mana can get over 1%.

    • bad12 7.1
      27 July 2013 at 9:34 pm

      LOLZ, i am willing to put money on it, but whats that got to do with the march against the GCSB Legislation…

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.1
        27 July 2013 at 11:29 pm

        Just noting their presence and organisation today. Bodes well for their 2014 campaign.

        • bad12 7.1.1.1
          27 July 2013 at 11:58 pm

          In Auckland right???, i wish they were a more visible presence here in Wellington…

  8. bad12 8
    27 July 2013 at 9:26 pm

    The first comment says it all, keep meeting keep marching, i have mobility issues which prohibit me from doing a march from Cuba Mall to Parliament, unless of course the march is to take 3 odd days,

    i tossed up last night whether to try and get myself down to Cuba Mall today and decided against it, silly me for not thinking that the whole idea was to march on Parliament as i could have at least got down there where there is plenty of parking especially on the weekend,

    My view is there could be a lot more growth seen in these protests with a buildup to try and have 10,000 at the Parliament in the days leading up to the passing of this Legislation or on the day itself,

    Wellington speakers should be targeting Peter ‘the Hairdo’,Dunne and the people of the Ohariu electorate for special mention, i doubt His mind can be changed and the only possibility of this occurring is if He gets a flood of Ohariu constituents haranguing Him over this issue,

    If a lot of pressure can be put on to the people of that electorate there is a chance that His name will become so synonymous with the uglyness of a State Stassi like organization spying on it’s citizens simply because they choose to protest, that those who vote for Him will be turned,

    He (Dunne) does have to face that electorate in November 2014 and hammering Him as the venal salesman of yet another little piece of our freedom may just make the difference in whether His electorate will elect him again…

    • Alanz 8.1
      27 July 2013 at 10:28 pm

      Who is the current Labour candidate for the electorate that Dunne represents?

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1
        27 July 2013 at 11:30 pm

        With Chauvel gone there will be no current candidate. Labour electorate candidate selections will take place towards the end of this year/early next year.

        • Arfamo 8.1.1.1
          27 July 2013 at 11:50 pm

          Dunne’s my MP. It’s taken me years to find two people who admit voting for him – because he was “sensible” and a “good electorate MP”. They’re both well-heeled “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” folks. Thousands of others obviously voted for him, and I’m hoping his support will disappear at the next election, but I’m not optimistic. If the Labour candidate’s any good it might happen.

    • tracey 8.2
      28 July 2013 at 3:10 pm

      Take up shearers offer and cc the pm all your emails. Even better if it was coordinated for a certain day and time. He wants them so lets give them to him

  9. Ugly Truth 9
    27 July 2013 at 9:49 pm

    So the debate needs to be where to from here?

    Understanding the nature of the problem is a reasonable short term goal.

    Espionage is a tool which is used to manipulate the political process, so it is really pretty naive to expect that the usual approach of protest and submission is going to achieve anything meaningful.

    “At 12:01 on the morning of November 4, 1952, a new federal agency was born. Unlike other such bureaucratic births, however, this one arrived in silence. No news coverage, no congressional debate, no press announcement, not even the whisper of a rumor. Nor could any mention of the new organization be found in the Government Organization Manual or the Federal Register or the Congressional Record. Equally invisible were the new agency’s director, its numerous buildings, and its ten thousand employees.
    Eleven days earlier, on October 24, President Harry S. Truman scratched his signature on the bottom of a seven-page presidential memorandum addressed to Secretary of State Dean G. Acheson and Secretary of Defense Robert A. Lovett. Classified top secret and stamped with a code word that was itself classified, the order directed the establishment of an agency to be known as the National Security Agency. It was the birth certificate for America’s newest and most secret agency, so secret in fact that only a handful in the government would be permitted to know of its existence.” ~ James Bamford:

    Truman was also involved in the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council (NSC), the recognition of the State of Israel, and the start of the cold war.

    So what motivated Truman in these unprecedented acts? It was during Truman’s watch that arguably the most unusual security event in US history occurred: Operation Highjump.

  10. Martin 10
    27 July 2013 at 10:19 pm

    Some bastard locked the gates to parliament grounds against us leaving a person wide entrance to go through.

    Some climbed the gates!

  11. AmaKiwi 11
    27 July 2013 at 10:54 pm

    Sample email I am sending to National MPs:

    “Why would you vote for the GCSB bill if it has no economic benefits for our electorate and will cost you votes?”

    Here are the email addresses of all the National MPs. Also included are other sample messages. If we can convince enough National MPs that this bill is “Key’s folly,” the caucus might slow the bill and get a proper review.

    john.key@parliament.govt.nz bill.english@parliament.govt.nz gerry.brownlee@parliament.govt.nz steven.joyce@parliament.govt.nz judith.collins@parliament.govt.nz tony.ryall@parliament.govt.nz hekia.parata@parliament.govt.nz jonathan.coleman@parliament.govt.nz murray.mccully@parliament.govt.nz anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz nick.smith@parliament.govt.nz tim.groser@parliament.govt.nz amy.adams@parliament.govt.nz nathan.guy@parliament.govt.nz craig.foss@parliament.govt.nz chris.tremain@parliament.govt.nz simon.bridges@parliament.govt.nz nikki.kaye@parliament.govt.nz maurice.williamson@parliament.govt.nz jo.goodhew@parliament.govt.nz chester.borrows@parliament.govt.nz michael.woodhouse@parliament.govt.nz todd.mcclay@parliament.govt.nz david.carter@parliament.govt.nz lindsay.tisch@parliament.govt.nz eric.roy@parliament.govt.nz louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz tim.macindoe@parliament.govt.nz jami-lee.ross@parliament.govt.nz kate.wilkinson@parliament.govt.nz phil.heatley@parliament.govt.nz paul.hutchison@parliament.govt.nz shane.ardern@parliament.govt.nz peseta.sam.lotu-liga@parliament.govt.nz melissa.lee@parliament.govt.nz kanwaljit.singh.bakshi@parliament.govt.nz jian.yang@parliament.govt.nz alfred.ngaro@parliament.govt.nz katrina.shanks@parliament.govt.nz paul.goldsmith@parliament.govt.nz tau.henare@parliament.govt.nz jacqui.dean@parliament.govt.nz nicky.wagner@parliament.govt.nz chris.auchinvole@parliament.govt.nz jonathan.young@parliament.govt.nz david.bennett@parliament.govt.nz cam.calder@parliament.govt.nz
    john.hayes@parliament.govt.nz colin.king@parliament.govt.nz
    maggie.barry@parliament.govt.nz ian.mckelvie@parliament.govt.nz
    mark.mitchell@parliament.govt.nz mike.sabin@parliament.govt.nz
    scott.simpson@parliament.govt.nz simon.oconnor@parliament.govt.nz
    paul.foster-bell@parliament.govt.nz claudette.hauiti@parliament.govt.nz

    MP’s count emails as pro or con. Your reasons are not overly important. Here is a multiple choice list of possibilities. Re-write one. Or use another reason.

    “I oppose the GCSB bill because . . .

    – It is opposed by the NZ Law Society, the Human Rights Commission, numerous columnist, and the NZ Herald editors.
    – The minister has not made any substantial arguments why these invasive powers are needed.
    – Since there is no emergency, this bill should not be passed under urgency. Parliament and the people need to weigh all the evidence.
    – The GCSB has already broken the law (spied on Kim Dotcom and 80 others). Then GCSB tried to cover it up. It is insane to increase its powers until we have had an independent inquiry to sort what went wrong and what is required to prevent it happening again.
    – “The bill has no controls over how the collected data can be used” – Dr. Rodney Harrison, QC, of the NZ Law Society.
    – The vast NSA/GCSB cloud storage has a complete copy of every phone call, text message, email, and every financial transaction I have made over the past five years. This is a Big Brother gross invasion of my privacy.
    – The bill allows spying on “threats to NZ’s economic well-being.” In other words, I can be spied on for protesting against a government business scheme such as the SkyCity Casino deal or asset sales.
    – Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Sir Ted Thomas, calls this a “iniquitous, scurrilous and foul bill”.
    – Dame Anne Salmond describes the bill as “electronic McCarthyism.”
    – The bill should be a conscience vote. National should not whip or bully its MPs to support it. This bill is in no way essential to National’s economic plans.
    – You were elected to represent us, not to rule over us. Do your job! Show some backbone. I expect you to represent us, not to be John Key’s rubber stamp.
    – A central National Party principle is “limited government.” This bill is the opposite.

    • Bearded Git 11.1
      28 July 2013 at 10:29 am

      Brilliant-have sent message to the lot of them telling them to scrap the bill or vote against it. (You do need to put semi-colons between each address when you do email.)

  12. Curtis 12
    28 July 2013 at 2:02 am

    Does anyone know what happened at Palmerston North Protest? 3news reported stones and bottles were thrown at police but a comment on that story on the 3news web page said she was at that protest the entire time and did not see any police let alone any violence??

    http://www.3news.co.nz/Protesters-turn-out-to-oppose-GCSB-bill/tabid/1607/articleID/306599/Default.aspx

    • weka 12.1
      28 July 2013 at 2:45 am

      Jonolism?

      http://thestandard.org.nz/lazy-jono-on-3-news-invents-a-story/

      TV3’s coverage was pretty bad even by normal MSM coverage.

      • weka 12.1.1
        28 July 2013 at 2:49 am

        The bit about Palmie isn’t in the text of the TV3 page. I heard it in the video, but was it in the text too?

        Just in case the comments disappear –

        Sasha Unverricht
        • 6 hours ago

        Some big inconsistencies with the above TV 3 video and reporting
        of this series of protests…

        Protesters clash with police? Bottles and rocks thrown at police
        in Palmerston North…? None of this is true. I was at the Palmerston
        North protest, and left after all speeches were given and the
        organisers ended the gathering, encouraging anyone with further
        questions to meet them at a local pub… No police were present at
        this local protest site, no problems, no violence.

        Unless something happened after the protest was officially over,
        and I have seen nothing reported… What kind of factual reporting is
        this from 3 News? This is more like sensationalist tabloid media,
        with absolutely no factual basis…
        5
        •

        Sam Mawson Sasha Unverricht
        • 29 minutes ago

        The protest was completely peaceful, the news report didn’t have any evidence to back that ridiculous claim up. Did anyone even see a tv3 representative there?
        •

        Palmy Panthers Sasha Unverricht
        • 6 hours ago

        TV3 news needs to apologise to Palmerston North.
        2
        •

        Sasha Unverricht Palmy Panthers
        • 5 hours ago

        Too true! Just laid a complaint with 3 News Auckland office. God only knows what they’ll do with that…
        2

        • weka 12.1.1.1
          28 July 2013 at 2:52 am

          https://www.facebook.com/CampbellLiveNZ/posts/10153096486725226

          Judi Kercherposted toCampbell Live
          7 hours ago near Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui ·

          Why did TV3 make the claim that there were clashes with police at the GCSB protests and that “in Palmerston North rocks and bottles were thrown”? There was no such violence!
          Like · Comment

          Tiffany Couper, Samir and Jenny Strickland like this.
          Samir Yeah Mr Cambell.. wanna prove your media is for the people? How about you investigate this one I live in Palmy, went to the protest and know at least 2 people who filmed the entire protest (we have hours of evidence). @Producers and Managers – Please post this onto John.
          3 hours ago · Edited · 2

  13. Penny Bright 13
    28 July 2013 at 10:30 am

    A rather lovely photo from yesterday’s anti-GCSB Auckland protest:

    //www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151814810334873&set=p.10151814810334873&type=1&theater

    Kim DotCom’s speech at the Auckland anti-GCSB rally:

    “John Key is a puppet”!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhlPqaLCvIE

    At the Auckland anti-GCSB protest, we collected 349 signatures of folks who have PLEDGED to campaign against National MP Nikki Kaye in 2014 if she votes for the GCSB Bill.

    (Collecting more signatures today….)

    A ‘template’ petition that can be used for ANY MP who currently supports the GCSB and TICS Bills is available here :

    http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz

    Will be collecting more signatures today………..

    Nothing like the threat of losing votes to help focus the minds of politicians?

    Looking forward to collecting signatures form all those Libertarians / ACT party members/supporters who are opposed to ‘Nanny State’ 🙂

    Cheers!

    Penny Bright
    ‘Anti-corruption /anti-privatisation’ campaigner

    2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate

  14. Penny Bright 14
    28 July 2013 at 10:38 am

    Ooops!

    Try this 🙂

    A rather lovely photo from yesterday’s anti-GCSB Auckland protest:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151814810334873&set=p.10151814810334873&type=1&theater

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