URGENT APPEAL: Maori Plea for Support

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Family,

It is in great distress that I am urged to write this appeal and to inform our international community of the recent events that are happening within Aotearoa (New Zealand) social justice, environmental justice and indigenous movements.

For the past 60 hours Aotearoa activists have been subjected to home invasions,raids and interrogation under threats of terrorist activities against the state.

The Crown has decided to employ its recent Terrorism Suppression Act to lockdown on social justice activist, movers and shakers and this is now world widenews with many of our close friends and families houses (mine included) being invaded, possessions confiscated and charges being threatened which will allow for solid activists to be charged under the Terrorist Suppression Act that carries sentencing for life.

The ages of people currently under custody range from 18 – 64. Many of us being implicated in this investigation are young people trying to do good things for our communities. We are headed into an election year and these events are the largest scale operation headed by special operations from the head of states office.

We have difficulty in understanding the timing for these invasions of our privacy except for political campaigning off of our backs. The indigenous movement for
self - determination is what is being blamed by the media for instigating acts of terrorism.

The Police showed up at my house with files of my activities over years, my phones have been tapped for years, my house under surveillance and everything subject to their review. We have not been involved in any activities that could allow the police to make these claims and the distress they are causing for our families and children is devastating.

Right now we are fighting for friends in Police Custody to make bail. A number of these requests have been denied. A number of people are now been moved between prisons and I will be liasing with them and their families.

Court costs, travel costs, food costs and lawyer costs are above the heads of many of our people and we are asking for support from our communities both national and international to come to our aid in this time of need.

'Terrorism' world wide has become a cause for unjust state intervention into the lives of many peoples committed to change and now we are seeing that reality play out here in our own backyards within our own community.

Please support us in anyway specifically: Sending your concerns against state interventions to Annette King, Minister of Police (aking@ministers.govt.nz) and to your local New Zealand Embassy's;- By sending financial support towards the Family Support Network to assist with food, travel expenses and Court costs and;
By sharing our stories with your own networks.We have had some international support by indigenous brothers and sisters by way of protests on the streets outside the NZ Embassy's, we encourage any of you to organize and do the same.

Thank you all for taking the time to hear what is happening for us here in Aotearoa, these are very troubling times.

For further information please refer here.

Most of our Internet sites have been taken down also in relation to these chain of events however all responses and correspondence can be made through me.
Mauriora, Kiritapu Allan Co – Director, Conscious Collaborations
http://www.conscious.maori.nz/
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Via Brenda Norrel and Ana.

See also Indigenist Intelligence Review for updates.

Onward!