Sunday 9 December 2012

Police state confirmed citizens run in fear from a public meeting





The right to peaceful assembly is crucial in any democratic society however on December the 8th 2012 this right was effectively ignored by violent and confrontational police officers. By the time the young women was brutally arrested in Aotea square the protest was well over the gathering in Aotea square on the afternoon of December the eighth 2012 was more a public meeting as the signs placards and banners had been packed away people were siting peacefully in Aotea square when 50 police arrived and began to arrest people without any reason to do so. People were instructed to move along and senior police officers pushed and shoved anyone who refused to move causing complete chaos in Aotea square
Right to assembly is crucial to any democratic society and for police to attack people who are simply holding a quiet meeting in a public space is unacceptable. Of all the police violence that occurred on December the eighth 2012 this was by far the most shocking not in terms of violence but the fact that a large number of police attacked a peaceful gathering in a public place this sort of police conduct is simply unacceptable in a democratic society.
The police remained near Aotea square in large numbers until everyone who had been involved in the mornings protest had left. Having to leave a public space for fear of being arrested is bad enough especially as no laws had been broken. The police bulling and intimidation on December the 8th 2012 was not acceptable.