RADICALCROSSSTITCH

Deep in the forest: Ross Meurant

An article was published today in the NZ Sunday Star Times. It’s an opinion piece by former NZ Police and Member of Parliament, Ross Meurant.

And it’s brilliant. But before we get to it, I want to share a wee story.

I remember when I got arrested as an activist, explaining the ridiculousness of arresting us and seeing the face of one of the officers understand what I was on about but stepping back to support the main arresting officer. I always thought that a bit odd.

That ridiculous arrest cost the court system thousands of dollars to throw the charges out. And also led to a police compliants authority investigation which ruled in my favour. Probably about $20 000 worth of total cost to the system when a third of our children are living in poverty. If that officer had tapped his colleague on the shoulder , whispered in his air that this was a waste of time, we could have all gone home with a bit of mutual respect.

And that was just a minor case.

Meurant says “The strength of our police is public confidence and support; without which they are nothing.” In the activist scene this confidence was undermined a long time ago. When police officers warn people that they will be arrested if they do a certain action and then arrest them anyway. When police officers physically assault members of the public when they appear to be acting as private security guards for multinational companies. When police officers remove their identification before peace protests and then front up to parliament asking for more weapons, they not only undermine our confidence but they draw some pretty serious battle lines.

I have witnessed all of the above happening, some of which I have seen on numerous occaisions. I have also had a number of older activists, those who were around during the Tour, say to me that it wasn’t like this in their day. That being the time when Meurant was around…

Read this and then tell your parents to read it.

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Activism, Anarchism, Indigenous Politics, NZ Politics