200 people participated in successful blockades against the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) conference this Tuesday which was held at the National Museum in Wellington, Aotearoa. The museum was completely shut down for 4 hours by protesters linking arms and blockading eight museum entrances. No-one was arrested on the opening day despite big scuffles with the police who set up barricades and used batons against demonstrators. The blockades were sustained by Food not Bombs and music, a lot of chanting and chasing war profiteers and army personnel. [ Reports 1 | 2 | 3 | Timeline 17 Oct 2006 | 1 | 2 ]

12 activists were arrested on the Sunday before the weapons conference after a clown demonstration outside the house the head of the NZDIA. This was an attempt by the police to stop people from protesting against the 2-day conference. On the second day of the conference several protests took place. Two people were arrested at a noisy protest outside the museum where the conference participants had their 'Awards Dinner' (one for allegedly stealing a police hat).

Links: Aotearoa IMC | Peace Action Wellington | No WARP | Protests 2005

The NZDIA has 39 member companies. These companies collaborate to promote the sale of weapons and weapons related products and services to customers overseas and to expand their market. In some cases the products that they are selling are specifically developed for military use. Lower Hutt-based company MAS Zegrange, for example, manufactures weapons firing control systems and communication systems for mortar and artillery batteries. In other cases, the products or services are used for both civilian and military use and are being specifically marketed to the armies of the world.

The NZ Government has been an active supporter of the Defence Industry Association. In 2003, Trade and Industry NZ gave $100,000 to Flexisolutions to develop its jungle-sweeper grenade. Along with these grants, Trade and Industry assist members to capitalise on export markets. Members of the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand Ministry of Defence are active supporters and participants in NZDIA activities. They participate through their Industry Liaison Managers who work closely with New Zealand companies to promote commercial opportunities in the supply of products and services. Auckland company Rakon Ltd is the sole supplier of an important component in the guided bombs made for the United States military and has received over $600,000 in Government funding.

Their conference is an annual event and has been held at Te Papa (National Museum) since 2002. Peace activists have targeted this weapons conference since the start. In 2003, the conference was disrupted by activists who dropped a big banner inside and one person was arrested for playing his tuba inside the museum. The following year around 50 people rallied outside. Last year saw the first attempt of a blockade. 70 people participated in a sit-in at the front entrance for an afternoon which resulted in 20 arrests.

This year the aim was to blockade the conference, and this was made all the more easier thanks to the fencing erected around Te Papa; we only had to blockade the gaps they had left open. The march arrived and we immediately headed for the main gap left at the front entrance. After a short (but painful) scuffle this first blockade had settled in. After a bit of brief chanting, one activist began to read out the crimes of those insides, interspersed by periodic "blood, blood, blood on your hands" chants, and Food Not Bombs fed the crowd lots of food.

Shortly after, sections of the 200 or so crowd were diverted to other entrances and instigated blockades at up to six entrances at one point. Police began to realise they had to do something and their first and only attempt to break up the blockades was made at the front entrance. Police bent hands, strangled, kneed backs, smashed heads, and used other pain tactics, but ultimately only encouraged another 40 or so people present to join and reinforce the blockade. Ten minutes later, the police had erected a fence behind this blockade, admitting defeat.

The next three hours were characterised by fairly stable blockades of about 10-15 people at each one, and roving bands of protesters ready to jump in and fight back against the police or delegates at every opportunity. At one point, police tried to open the side of one of the fences to let a delegate through only to be rebuffed by about 30 people who pushed the fence closed and in fact pushed it well back beyond where it had originally stood. One of the cops got squeezed onto the wrong side of the fencing and the rest freaked and tried to drag him back over to their side; he was consequently pied. In another incident, the fencing broke and protesters forced it back, and police tried to stand ground. While they tried to fix it, they were drenched in water thrown at them, had their hats flicked off them and appropriated and were slapped, while they punched and batoned a few.

Delegates trying to leave were forced to climb over fencing and spat on, harassed and screamed at. Many top army officers and others had to leave out the back with a heavy police contingent surrounding them.

No arrests were made all day; the police simply could not risk the instant riot they would have spurred if anyone had been arrested. There was an amazing collective spirit and, while people may have never heard of a blockade at the start of the day, within 20 minutes most people were instigating their own blockades and coordinating linking arms on their own accord.

In the end, as numbers began to dwindle, we came together in the front as one group and again, as these numbers dwindled, we left as one large group with no stragglers leaving the police no opportunity to pick anyone off.

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