Tino Rangatiratanga

Not Terrorists, Just Terrorized by the State

Around 25 people gathered outside the UN Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity, 413, Saint Jacques Street, Montreal on Monday
lunchtime to denounce the current wave of state terror by the New
Zealand Government against Maori sovereignty, peace and environmental
justice activists. Expressing solidarity with Tuhoe communities and
others targeted in a recent “anti-terror” operation, they also drew
attention to, and opposed New Zealand’s recently-announced bid for a
seat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2009-2012. The protest
action was organized by the Maori Solidarity Committee, Montreal.

Last week in Aotearoa /New Zealand, Maori sovereignty campaigners,
environmental, peace and social justice activists, were targeted in
military-style raids under the post 9/11 Terrorism Suppression
Act, and are being painted in the media as terrorists. Police raided
homes, confiscated possessions and imprisoned at least seventeen
activists in a military-style operation, many of whom are Maori.
Amongst those arrested was prominent Maori activist and community
worker Tame Iti, who has been denied bail along with eleven others,
and whose appeal for bail is being heard today, New Zealand time.

The Montreal action attracted academics, local Indigenous and
non-Indigenous activists as well as a Maori visiting scholar at McGill
University, and New Zealand activist/academic Aziz Choudry, who held a
large tino rangatiratanga (Maori sovereignty) flag outside the UN CBD
Secretariat street entrance. The protest added its voice to a growing
number of actions across Aotearoa/New Zealand, in the USA,

Australia, Germany, Greece, and South Africa. Participants at the
Montreal action not only denounced New Zealand’s targeting of
Indigenous sovereignty campaigners, but drew links to the
anti-Indigenous Peoples actions of the New Zealand, US, Canadian and
Australian governments in being the only 4 governments to vote against
the UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last
month. They also highlighted the parallels between Canadian and New
Zealand Government state ideology and practice which constructs has
long viewed Indigenous Peoples who are asserting their rights to
self-determination as criminals and subversives. They warned that this
is consistent with today’s international trend of labeling legitimate
political dissent “terrorist”.

New Zealand state repression echoes events here in Canada, shared the
Montreal protesters. So-called anti-terror laws and security forces
are being used to label dissent especially the dissent of Indigenous
peoples as criminal and terrorist. This summer, Tyendinaga Mohawk
activist Shawn Brant was arrested after blockades of rail lines and
highways on Tyendinaga land. A leader in his communitys struggle, he
has been portrayed as a criminal and terrorist. Like Tame Iti, Shawn
was jailed in July 2007, and was denied bail until the end of August.
In Canada, this summer’s police crackdown after the June 29th
Aboriginal days of action are proof that colonialism is alive and well
in Canada in the 21st century.

Protestors vowed to do whatever they can to expose and oppose the New
Zealand government’s actions and to encourage opposition to their UN
Human Rights Council bid. A delegation also met with representatives
of the UN Convention on Biodiversity Secretariat and outlined their
reasons for staging the action outside their offices.

e-mail:: maorisolidarity@yahoo.ca

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