Tu Kotahi :: Freedom Fighting Anthems

Rob Gilchrist is a Christchurch-based man has spied on activist groups for more than 10 years. He worked for the NZ Police and was sending information to Detective Peter Gilroy and Detective Sergeant John Sjoberg. They are both members of the Special Investigation Group (SIG). The SIG has groups in Auckland (headed by Aaron Lee Pascoe), Wellington (headed by Brian Woodcock) and Christchurch (where Gilroy and Sjoberg are based). This is the unit responsible for Operation 8.

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The December edition of the October 15th Solidarity newsletter is now available as a pdf HERE

Articles include:

-'National's nightmare': the punitive new bail and parole measures are on the table before Christmas, and a new prison to boot

-Fire and flames against repression in Germany: the solidarity campaign for Axel, Florian and Oliver

-Terror in our midst? A personal review of the new book by Huia publishing

-Moana Jackson talks to health professionals about the impact of the raids on long term trauma

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Political Anthropologist, Associate Professor Jeff Sluka, is coming to Wellington.

On Tuesday 2nd December Jeff Sluka will be the key speaker at public meeting discussing State terrorism during the 2007 ‘anti-terrorism’ raids in Rūātoki. This is the fifth in a series of meetings hosted by the October 15th Solidarity Group group.

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By Jordan Pearson • November 17, 2008 @18:48 • 3,503 words •

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Updated at 11:00am on 18 November 2008

* Lawyers for those accused after last year's nationwide police raids, say a trial will likely not happen until 2010 if the matter is transferred to the High Court.*

A short hearing has taken place at the High Court in Auckland, where the Crown has made an application to have the charges transferred from the District Court.

It is also seeking to lay new charges against some of the accused.

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New T-shirts are available to support the people affected in the October 15th raids. Money raised goes to support (such as transport to court, accommodation in Auckland during court appearances, and food) as well as the on-going political work of the October 15th solidarity crew.

• Remember October 15th(with Te Mana Motuhake o Tuhoe flag) Shirts are $20 and available in S,M,L,XL,XXL

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31 October 2008
Media Release: Global Peace and Justice Auckland

The police decision to lay charges of participating in a criminal gang against five of the Urewera arrestees is ludicrous. Having failed to brand these activists as terrorists the police now want to try to brand them as criminals.

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Updated at 6:36am on 31 October 2008
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/10/31/12437ab92859

More serious charges are to be laid against five of the people already due to stand trial after the high profile police raids last year.

Earlier in October, 17 people were committed to stand trial on various charges of illegally possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives.

The Crown says Tame Iti, Tuhoi Lambert, Emily Bailey, Urs Signer and Whiri Kemara have now been charged with participation in a criminal group, which carries a sentence of up to five years imprisonment.

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New Zealand Herald
4:00AM Friday Oct 31, 2008
By Elizabeth Binning

Fresh charges are to be laid against some of those seized in the Urewera police raids - more than a year after they were arrested.
Five of the 18 people arrested during the nationwide operation last October are to face new allegations of participating in a criminal gang.

One of the five is Maori activist Tame Iti.

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By KIM RUSCOE and BEN FAWKES - The Dominion Post | Friday, 31 October 2008

The Crown is preparing to lay fresh charges against five of the 17 people arrested after anti- terrorism raids in the Bay of Plenty.

Prosecutor Ross Burns said the Crown planned to charge Tame Iti, Tuhoe Lambert, Whiri Kemara, Swiss national Urs Signer and Wellington's Emily Bailey with participating in an organised criminal group. The charge carries a maximum jail term of five years.

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The Crown has issued an indictment today against 18 people arrested in the police raids of October 15th 2007 in Ruatoki, Auckland, Hamilton, Whakatane, Palmerston North, Wellington and elsewhere.

Five of the 18 people have been charged with participation in a criminal gang under section 98A of the Crimes Act.

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Over the mind-numbing 19 days of the deposition hearings vis-à-vis the arms charges against 18 individuals arising from the 15 October police raids, the observations of a former NZ Police “Red Squad’ sergeant articulated shortly after those hostile events repeatedly intruded. In the Global Peace & Justice Auckland newsletter [23-10-07], those views were summarized as follows:

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The long depositions hearing for 18 of the the Operation 8 defendants has finally finished, with Judge Perkins today committing 17 of them to face trial.

1 of the arrestees, Rongomai Bailey, had all charges against him dropped. [ Video interview with Bailey from NZ Herald ]

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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Closing arguments from the Crown and the respondents in the Fairfax contempt trial were heard in the Wellington High Court today. The judges have retired to consider their decision which they will deliver in writing.

The Solicitor-General (SG) closed his case against both Fairfax newspapers and the editor of the Dominion Post Tim Pankhurst by addressing all of the respondents’ defences.

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Dispatches from Wellington - Faifax contempt trial
Monday, 15 September
Wellington High Court

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