October 15th Solidarity - Remember the state terror raids

There are events being planned in Ruatoki, Auckland, Wellington and Melbourne to commemorate the October 15th 2007 raids and to celebrate our resistance.

• In Ruatoki, there are four days of events planned starting with a powhiri on 15 October. There will be a theatrical production, music, stalls, hui, exhibitions and korero.
• In Auckland

I arrived home today from the deposition hearing in Auckland: one month filled with long days at district courtroom 8 staring at 10 am, finishing at 5pm, day in and day out.

The deposition hearing will conclude tomorrow afternoon, just exactly when the Crown said it would. There will be one final defence submission, followed by a Crown response, and possibly a brief bail argument.

The defendants are required to return to court on 17 October to hear the decision of Judge Perkins on whether or not they will be committed to trial.

21 September 2008
After a week in Wellington and a whole different court case, I'm back in Auckland for the second stretch of the depositions hearing. Tomorrow morning the bus will come to take us to court, and we'll be back into the three ring circus which is the depositions hearing.

On the last day of the last session the judge said that he would continue sitting until it was over. I'm not sure if that was a promise or a threat

The first round of the Depositions Hearing at the Auckland District Court is over. The court is taking a break until 22 September, when the Hearing will continue.

Below are the dispatches from the first 7 days of the Hearing. Also check out Aotearoa Indymedia for updates

Dispatches from Wellington - Fairfax contempt trial

"The Terror Files" - ten months ago the Dominion Post, Stuff and other Fairfax papers published several articles that were based on the affidavit that was used to get the search warrant for the raids on October 15th. In these articles they also published intercepted communications, in a random, cherry picked sort of a way (cherry-picking the cherry-picking - since search warrants don't generally include the perspective of people raided, or even counter-interpretations). Now, ten months later, they were being taken to court by solicitor general for contempt.

Read the reports from the hearing at the Wellington High Court

Public Meeting in Wellington, 6:30pm, Monday 22nd September 2008
St Johns in the City, cnr Willis and Dixon Sts, Wellington

In the Aftermath of the Urewera Raids - Discussing colonisation, courts and contempt

With:
Steven Price (media lawyer, author of www.medialawjournal.co.nz)
Speaking about media law and contempt of court

October 15th Solidarity group panel
Speaking on the broader issues around the state terror raids of 15th October 2007 and the Search and Surveillance Powers Bill introduced to Parliament last week.

On a cold and miserable day, the cries of "No More Police State!" echoed through Central Auckland's Queen Street as over 200 Maori, trade unionists and left wingers joined a rally to defend the Urewewa 20, and remember the State Terror Raids of October 15th last year. There were banners and contingents from Tuhoe, Unite, Socialist Aotearoa, the Workers Party, and Auckland's Anarcha-Feminist collective, with individuals from the NDU, Green Party and Maoridom.

Tickets to the global day of action to drop the charges against the 20 accused in the State Terror Raids are now available on Trade Me! There is a two-day auction that closes at the start of the demo on Saturday at 12 noon. The beautiful tickets are for freedom lovers, supporters of Tino Rangatiratanga, friends, and whanau and are free to print or $5 for limited edition colour print. Tickets for police and other spy scumbags are $8 million – about the cost of the entire ‘Operation 8’ investigation (the name given to the State Terror Raids by the police).

"Many people believe that since the terrorism charges were not successfully laid by police following the State Terror Raids in October 2007 that the case is closed. That is not correct, charges are proceeding" said October 15th Solidarity spokesperson Peter Steiner. Demonstrations and protests are being planned around the world for the global day of action to drop the charges against the 20 people arrested in the nationwide State Terror Raids of 15 October 2007. In Wellington, there will be a rally and march starting at 12 noon at 128 Abel Smith Street.