the wellingtonista

Anti-racism rally and picnic

Posted by stephen clover on Friday, 24 Oct 2008

Remember a few years ago when a bunch of punks dressed up as fairies chased the National Front guys around the Railway Station beating them up?  LOLarama.  Anyhow...

Anti-racism activists will be holding a rally and picnic at the Wellington Cenotaph at 10am on Saturday October 25. The rally and picnic is in opposition to plans to hold a "Flag Day" rally by the "Nationalist Alliance", a coalition comprising the National Front, New Right and National Democrats. 

More about these asshats after the jump....

Spokesman for the anti-racism rally, Josh Simmons said:

The Nationalist Alliance claim to be celebrating New Zealand Flag Day but their leadership all have a long history within the extreme-right political movement in New Zealand.

The National Front in particular have had a number of key members and leaders who have been convicted and even jailed in recent years for offences such as racial attacks, vandalism of Auckland mosques, theft of explosives and destruction of a Maori carving worth $15,000 in Hamilton.

In previous years members of Wellington gang the Hammerskins have joined the NF on their Labour Weekend rally. The Hammerskins are an openly white-supremacist gang who last year held a concert to celebrate Adolf Hitler's birthday. The concert was organised in conjunction with "Blood and Honour", a white-power music organisation banned in some countries as a terrorist organisation after assaults and murders committed by members.

This year the National Front are bringing Australia First Sydney Secretary Jim Saleam to New Zealand for their rally. Saleam has served time in jail for firebombing a Brisbane bookshop and organising a shotgun attack against a representative of the African National Congress. 

The fact that a number of NF members have turned up to their rallies wearing nazi insignia shows the lie to the NF's claim that they are the victims of a smear campaign

concluded Mr Simmons.

Media release (Scoop) ends.

stephen clover's picture
# Submitted by stephen clover on Tue, 28 Oct 2008

What happened (from Stuff.co.nz):

National Front, anti-fascist groups clash

Up to 120 people have been involved in a clash between National Front and anti-fascist demonstrators in Wellington today.

The face off occurred after the National Front members went to the Cenotaph to commemorate what they called ‘National Flag Day’ only to find anti-fascist protesters already there, Radio New Zealand reported.

The right-wing group then went on to the Seddon Memorial in Parliament grounds.

Police formed a barricade between the groups and then broke up a scuffle which occurred when the anti-fascist protesters pursued National Front members to the railway station.

While no-one was arrested during the scuffle, two anti-fascist protesters were arrested for disorderly behaviour for throwing items.

The collossal irony of it all was that the fascists were late to their own rally because they'd missed the train that was s'posed to carry them into Wellington from the Hutt Valley.  It seems Mussolini made the trains run too punctually.

 

Also: Two arrested as protestors clash with National Front supporters (3 News video):

Two people have been arrested after anti-fascism protesters clashed with police at a National Front rally.

Police were forced to contain over 150 people after protesters took exception to the extreme right- wing group's celebrations.

The National Front had hoped to celebrate what they called "National Flag Day" at the Cenotaph, but were beaten there by anti-fascism protesters and were forced to change their plans.

"As far as we're concerned, these anarchists and people like that, they're not New Zealanders, they're traitors," National Front spokesman Colin Ansell says.

"We turned out as a group of people from all across the country to tell them that there is no space for racism on the street of Wellington," anti-fascism protestor Alex Burkman told 3 News.

However, it was on those streets that things heated up. As the groups got closer and provoked each other, two protesters were arrested.

The pair were taken to Wellington Central Police Station where they were booked with disorderly conduct.

Despite a minor scuffle at the railway station, there was no more trouble for police. And an escort out of town quelled any fear of further problems,

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