Well my ill-temper over this Urewera issue continues to hang around. I find it interesting that most of the people who have seen the evidence have remained convinced that the police handled things correctly, and that they have chosen to keep this evidence and reasoning from the public until trials are convened.
This is a serious thing to choose to do, and it isn't something that the courts do lightly. The media is stirring up a shit-storm about race relations (always a favourite when news is light) but absolutely no evidence has come to light to prove this.
Police have arrested people from a number of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Their links lie in fringe political, activist and environmentalist groups - but all that shows is that they have figured that such groups are good to hide in and can harbour potential candidates for their causes - whatever they may be.
This isn't necessarily a terrorist cause either - if you were wanting to start a Maori Sovereignty activism group, these are the kinds of people who are likely to be sympathetic to your cause.
However, no evidence suggests that this is a concerted police conspiracy. The reason for this is because the courts are not behooven to the police and given the highly political nature of the situation would have only chosen to keep things quiet due to some compelling and concerning evidence. To ensure that these people get a fair and just trial, that evidence needs to be kept as clear from contamination of opinion as possible - meaning that if the media were to print it prematurely, jury's could be swayed into a biased position.
But certain activist and political groups don't seem to care for facts - they are only interested in decrying racism and police-state tactics. Bollocks.
This hysteria has spread across the globe now thanks to groups like the "civil movement of Aotearoa" on facebook. Indigenous people are not being bullied or having their rights removed - most Maori realise this too. A particular group who have had a history of antagonism and self-serving protest under the false guise of "solidarity" have stepped up again and tried to blame the government, police and anyone else they can of some truly outrageous claims that betray a serious lack of understanding about how justice works in this country.
Nobody has thought to blame those who have been arrested of being so stupid as to cause the police to raid the community through their own illegal and self-serving actions. Nobody has stopped to give Tame Iti a well-deserved dressing down for potentially bringing danger to the Tuhoe through his irresponsible and selfish actions.
No - the police take action based on the information they have gathered about Tame Iti and friend's activities, which the local community were not fully aware of. But it is the police who are held to blame.
This hysteria has to stop. It is irrational and neither helps those who have been arrested nor anyone in the country. It is shameful to accuse anyone of racial prejudice especially when many of the people arrested were of a mixture of ethnic backgrounds. So much so that it makes all the wild tales coming out of the area as a little exaggerated by people who want us to sympathise with them against the big bad police.
But the evidence simply does not support these stories. That's the blunt truth of the matter. As was pointed out by an excellent column in the Dominion Post on Friday, violent protest against the state of New Zealand is somewhat insincere when there has never been a Bloody Sunday like repression of the people.
When I consider that my current employer is a Maori businessman who successfully heads several Maori community boards and companies which all generate considerable wealth for their people. Who has a university education and can do whatever he pleases. How the man who co-owned the business with him was also a highly successful Maori businessman whose daughter has excellent university education and is researching and studying Te Reo as a living and growing language - I find the accusations of a state repressing indigenous people as a little hard to swallow.
Things aren't perfect - but they have been getting better, and the government has for the last decade been working tirelessly to help improve relations. Most Maori know this, and they work hard to be a part of New Zealand as well as teach New Zealand what it is to be Maori. They are the people who spearhead the future of Maori culture in a positive light.
They understand that we're all in this together and only by learning to understand each other can we move forward - not by making outrageous demands or hiding behind ethnicity. These people haven't allowed themselves to have a hysterical hatred of society, but rather have chosen to stand up and be proud of their heritage and to share it with society. To work with other people to benefit their families and culture as well as the greater New Zealand.
And they are the people who in cases as this one, believe that one should wait to see what the evidence is before harping off at the government or police or anyone else.
It may turn out that the Police did over-react. But it might also turn out that there really was a militia being trained to serve an anarchistic goal that each group was intending to exploit.
Until the evidence is revealed, we should wait and see - not decry foul play. It has been a week. As has been pointed out by others - in a true Police State, these people would just disappear. But they haven't. We know where they are, we know that they will be charged with further cases soon, and we know that their cases will be before the courts in short time.
Until there is evidence, I refuse to accept that this is some conspiracy or politically motivated white-wash. There is more historical evidence that suggests there is good reason for these people to be put through the process. They had illegal firearms. There were witnesses who were threatened by armed militia. We now know that the SIS were involved. I believe there is enough evidence to suggest that this needs to go to court and be tested.
And I believe that given the seriousness of the crimes, the police were right in acting swiftly and efficiently. If a few windows got smashed - that is a reasonable price to pay instead of risking a potential gunfight, or loose anarchists with an axe to grind.
Conan
This is a serious thing to choose to do, and it isn't something that the courts do lightly. The media is stirring up a shit-storm about race relations (always a favourite when news is light) but absolutely no evidence has come to light to prove this.
Police have arrested people from a number of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Their links lie in fringe political, activist and environmentalist groups - but all that shows is that they have figured that such groups are good to hide in and can harbour potential candidates for their causes - whatever they may be.
This isn't necessarily a terrorist cause either - if you were wanting to start a Maori Sovereignty activism group, these are the kinds of people who are likely to be sympathetic to your cause.
However, no evidence suggests that this is a concerted police conspiracy. The reason for this is because the courts are not behooven to the police and given the highly political nature of the situation would have only chosen to keep things quiet due to some compelling and concerning evidence. To ensure that these people get a fair and just trial, that evidence needs to be kept as clear from contamination of opinion as possible - meaning that if the media were to print it prematurely, jury's could be swayed into a biased position.
But certain activist and political groups don't seem to care for facts - they are only interested in decrying racism and police-state tactics. Bollocks.
This hysteria has spread across the globe now thanks to groups like the "civil movement of Aotearoa" on facebook. Indigenous people are not being bullied or having their rights removed - most Maori realise this too. A particular group who have had a history of antagonism and self-serving protest under the false guise of "solidarity" have stepped up again and tried to blame the government, police and anyone else they can of some truly outrageous claims that betray a serious lack of understanding about how justice works in this country.
Nobody has thought to blame those who have been arrested of being so stupid as to cause the police to raid the community through their own illegal and self-serving actions. Nobody has stopped to give Tame Iti a well-deserved dressing down for potentially bringing danger to the Tuhoe through his irresponsible and selfish actions.
No - the police take action based on the information they have gathered about Tame Iti and friend's activities, which the local community were not fully aware of. But it is the police who are held to blame.
This hysteria has to stop. It is irrational and neither helps those who have been arrested nor anyone in the country. It is shameful to accuse anyone of racial prejudice especially when many of the people arrested were of a mixture of ethnic backgrounds. So much so that it makes all the wild tales coming out of the area as a little exaggerated by people who want us to sympathise with them against the big bad police.
But the evidence simply does not support these stories. That's the blunt truth of the matter. As was pointed out by an excellent column in the Dominion Post on Friday, violent protest against the state of New Zealand is somewhat insincere when there has never been a Bloody Sunday like repression of the people.
When I consider that my current employer is a Maori businessman who successfully heads several Maori community boards and companies which all generate considerable wealth for their people. Who has a university education and can do whatever he pleases. How the man who co-owned the business with him was also a highly successful Maori businessman whose daughter has excellent university education and is researching and studying Te Reo as a living and growing language - I find the accusations of a state repressing indigenous people as a little hard to swallow.
Things aren't perfect - but they have been getting better, and the government has for the last decade been working tirelessly to help improve relations. Most Maori know this, and they work hard to be a part of New Zealand as well as teach New Zealand what it is to be Maori. They are the people who spearhead the future of Maori culture in a positive light.
They understand that we're all in this together and only by learning to understand each other can we move forward - not by making outrageous demands or hiding behind ethnicity. These people haven't allowed themselves to have a hysterical hatred of society, but rather have chosen to stand up and be proud of their heritage and to share it with society. To work with other people to benefit their families and culture as well as the greater New Zealand.
And they are the people who in cases as this one, believe that one should wait to see what the evidence is before harping off at the government or police or anyone else.
It may turn out that the Police did over-react. But it might also turn out that there really was a militia being trained to serve an anarchistic goal that each group was intending to exploit.
Until the evidence is revealed, we should wait and see - not decry foul play. It has been a week. As has been pointed out by others - in a true Police State, these people would just disappear. But they haven't. We know where they are, we know that they will be charged with further cases soon, and we know that their cases will be before the courts in short time.
Until there is evidence, I refuse to accept that this is some conspiracy or politically motivated white-wash. There is more historical evidence that suggests there is good reason for these people to be put through the process. They had illegal firearms. There were witnesses who were threatened by armed militia. We now know that the SIS were involved. I believe there is enough evidence to suggest that this needs to go to court and be tested.
And I believe that given the seriousness of the crimes, the police were right in acting swiftly and efficiently. If a few windows got smashed - that is a reasonable price to pay instead of risking a potential gunfight, or loose anarchists with an axe to grind.
Conan
Currently Reading: Lunars 2nd Ed
Currently Playing: Nothing
Mood: Still short of a suitable icon for how grumpy these people are making me.
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