Prism Webcast News

Terrorism in NZ and World War III - Interviews with those on the front line

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Posted in Environment Human Rights PRISM NEWS PODCASTS Peace | Tagged Environment, Human Rights, PRISM NEWS PODCASTS, Peace

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In this edition of Prism Webcast News the issues raised from the police actions against activists is dealt with along with the problem of George W. Bush wanting to start World War III. This editions interviews are with:

1. Security intelligence academic Paul Buchannan on terrorism and human rights in relation to the use of terrorism laws recently.
2. Francis Mountier on what happened with the police in Christchurch and subsequent protest action.
3. Professor Michael Chossudovsky on George W. Bush’s threats to start world War III.

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1. Terrorism & Sedition or State Sponsored Abuse of Human Rights

I first heard of Paul Buchannan at a talk in Christchurch NZ recently organised by some university students on who’s Watching You? A Public Meeting on the increased permeation of security into society and the privatisation of security. Paul Buchannan grew up in Latin American countries Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and mainly Argentina where he experienced first hand repressive dictatorships. He has had a civilian academic career in security and intelligence and has also worked in American military intelligence organisations, for example, the CIA, Department for Defence and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is currently challenging his dismissal from Auckland university in August 2007.

In this interview with Paul Buchannan we go over some of the issues covered at that public meeting on “Who is Watching You” and more particularly what has happened since then with the raids and arrests of activists since Monday the 15^th of October.

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2. Christchurch Home Invasions by Police and Protests

I also spoke with Francis Mountier about the raids and arrests, because she was caught up with police trying to force their way into her house in Christchurch without a warrant. This was probably because as an environmental activist she has a role as a spokesperson for the Save Happy Valley Coalition. She was also involved with helping organise the “Who’s Watching You” talk and the protest march in Christchurch yesterday on the 20^th of October and gives a report on that.

The next national day of action to protest the police activities is Saturday the 27^th of October. A website has been specifically set up to help those currently detained and can be found at: http://www.civilrightsdefence.org.nz/

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3. Bush & World War III

While we fret about the human rights situation here in NZ overseas the Bush regime is flexing its muscles and threatening war against Iran. Micheal Chossudovsky is a Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Center for Research on Globalization and recently wrote an article entitled Bush’s World War Three� where he states that he believes we are not living a sound and rational World where far-reaching decisions by the US President are based on an understanding of their likely consequences and because of this a World War III is no longer a hypothetical scenario. Michel Chossudovsky is also the author of the international bestseller America’s “War on Terrorism”� Global Research, 2005.

I spoke with Micheal Chossudovsky about his fears that an oil hungry George W. Bush could attack Iran, which could then all too easily expand into a World War III nuclear conflict.

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EDITORIAL - Dissent is not Terrorism

The moves by agents of the state (the police) last week to harass and detain environmental campaigners, Maori Tino Rangatiratanga activists and others under the cover of Terrorism and fire arms law has seen a new low in the lengths the state will go to suppress dissent and create division and fear in the general population. Since the events of 9/11 governments all around the world saw this as an opportunity to expand their scope of authority, their secret service budgets and anti-terrorist personnel even though there is credible evidence to believe that in reality the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were an inside job and the official conspiracy theory is a lie.

As security analyst Paul Buchannan points out in NZ there was never any good reason for the expansion of such authority due to our location in the geostrategic environment. Particularly as there is nothing in criminal law that cannot handle criminal political conspiracies or violent political dissidents. He also pointed out that the people arrested recently have a similarity in that they all use at different times direct action techniques such as assaults on property and symbols of power, but which have never in the past involved direct assaults on people or any act of politically motivated violence in New Zealand resulting in the death of innocents which is the standard definition of terrorism. Nothing indicates to him that any of these people are part of a terrorist conspiracy especially as the SAS which is charged with dealing with foreign and domestic terrorist threats to NZ appears not to have been involved in these raids. He goes on to say in his interview that the creation of separate laws in America and New Zealand to deal with these types of problems is the hallmark of dictatorial regimes he has seen first hand in South America.

The harassment of activists has taken many forms, but one of the most blatant example of this was outlined to me by Francis Mountier in what happened in Christchurch. The police without any warrants, despite 12 months of planning, tried to bully their way through physical and verbal intimidation into 3 different homes. The courage of these households’ residents to resist and stand up for their lawful rights is a testament to their courage and they should be regarded as heroes. The law is very clear that the police are not allowed to barge into people’s homes without good reasons put before a court judge to assess the veracity of their claims. And the fact that after 12 months investigation they could not get any judge to issue any warrants to do so can only mean that police actions were part of a campaign of systematic harassment of law abiding citizens.

Human rights all over the world are under attack by all types of governments. In what has taken hundreds of years struggle, dissent and war to push back the powers of monarchies and the state so that the individual can live a life free from harassment, imprisonment, torture and death at the whim of despots and governments is slowly being taken back by the powers that be. This is aided by the media who spread the lies of 9/11 to generate fears that have no basis in reality. This culture of fear has too many people running scared from shadows that do not even exist. And even if they did what sort of coward is it that wants the state to take total control of their lives so that maybe they could be afforded some protection. What we all need first and foremost is protection from the state and its agents. This is why we have human rights laws and democracy - so that individuals and communities can be free to live their lives free from the tyranny of not just a right wing big brother, but also a left wing nanny state.

That does not mean to say that some of the people arrested could not well have broken laws. As such, the evidence against them needs to be presented in a court of law as quickly as possible because the credibility of the police and the government is on the line. This is because as a democracy we have empowered the state to run a police force to protect us the general public from individuals who harm others. The vast majority of us accept and want this as a means of protection, but this is no carte blanche permission for police to do what they want. As we have found out all too well recently the NZ police cannot be trusted and must be kept in line with the rule of law - law designed to protect us citizens from the police and the government trampling on those exercising their human rights to disagree with the status quo and openly show this through protest and dissent.