Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Dawn Raids

There were a number of police raids yesterday in Aotearoa (New Zealand), ostensibly looking for weapons and trying to weed out a terrorist plot of some sort. One of the places that was raided was the community house where I was a caretaker. It apparently has been under surveillance for the past year, which means New Zealand authorities have some kind of dirt on me frying tofu in the kitchen and dumping compost out the back. 17 people in total were arrested around the country, most being held on weapons charges of some sort.

While I can't speak for the other places that were raided, the idea that they might find some kind of weapons cache at 128 is completely ludicrous. I mean, that all the cops came away with were bags of clothes and some documents seems to discredit them. Yes, anarchists hang out at the house--a group of people who would like to see government abolished--but from my experience there, they're all non-violent activists. I don't think the NZ government is really in any danger. The thought that these people are going to terrorize New Zealand in some way is farcical. If anything, the raids support the anarchists' arguments about hierarchies, government, and abuse of power.

In the end it seems like a Bush Administration ploy to cultivate a politics of fear. If New Zealanders buy into it, it will just result in further abuses of power.

Contrary to what Western governments would like us to believe, terrorism isn't the great political issue of our time, it's intolerance of different value systems and cultures.

You can watch a bunch of news clips about the bullshit that's going on here.

3 comments:

Emiko said...

I read a newspaper article about activists getting arrested in NZ for terrorism. And it seemed very weird to me. NZ is a place that I least expected terrorism, and I couldn't really figure out why the police would have any motive to go on a big huge raid against it. but now that i write this comment, i really have no point other than my confusion. i'm signing off. over.

Flushy McBucketpants said...

the people arrested weren't terrorists. they weren't terrorizing people or creating terror of any sort. they're political radicals, sure, but I think you'd find it incredibly difficult to find someone who was seriously afraid for their physical wellbeing because of these people.

Emiko said...

i understand what you are saying, so don't get angry at me. and i know some where activists for the aboriginee(not that i can spell) rights. and they put some dirt on them about a planned militaryesque training. but if they weren't, what was the political motive. which politian smoked pot and got way too paranoid??