Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #44, August 26, 2003

Website http://www.gpja.pl.net/ Contact details: Forums - John Minto, (09) 8463173 jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor - Mike Treen 0212547440 / 3616989 miket@pl.net Web page - Geraldine Peters (09) 3765994 bern@ihug.co.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, Private Bag 68905, Newton, Auckland. All communication regarding the GPJA mailing list (email or snail) should be addressed to gpjamailinglist@xtra.co.nz

Dear friends,

With the GE debate heating up September’s GPJA forum this Monday is timely. The GPJA organising committee needs helpers and meets on a Monday evening two weeks after the forum (ie 3rd Monday of the month).

WHAT'S ON IN AUCKLAND

Wednesday, August 27, 10.30am, NZ Herald Building, 46 Albert St (corner of Wyndham Street), City Demonstration outside NZ Herald offices against the dismissal of cartoonist Malcolm Evans; please bring placards on these themes - Freedom of Speech, Censorship, Israel/Palestine. For more info contact email wakim.fam@xtra.co.nz

Wednesday, August 27, 7:00pm start, Alleluya Café, St. Kevin's Arcade, 183 K'Rd THE ANTIDOTE # 3. An Auckland Indymedia GE-FREE Film Fundraiser. An evening of independent documentaries on genetic engineering in response to the lapsing of the moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms. FEATURING: KIA TUPATO Documentary short by local filmmaker Michelle McGregor exploring Maori views on the environment and genetic engineering through interviews with the late Sir John Turei. (11 mins.) The LEECH and the EARTHWORM Indigenous peoples voice their views on Western science, its vision of a genetically engineered future, and its deep links with corporate profits and globalisation. "The Leech and the Earthworm" is a journey that combines passionate critiques of a future threatened by genetic engineering and representations of living alternatives to a globalised monoculture with stunning visuals and music from around the world. The "Leech and the Earthworm" is a provocative film that inspires us to ask serious questions of the collective illusion we call 'progress'." (68 mins.) STOP THE CROP Produced by Undercurrents UK. A short documentary of a direct action event in the UK in which a genetically modified crop was pulled up in protest to the sowing of GMOs. A portent of things to come. (7mins.) HOMEGROWN Homegrown profiles the use of successful alternatives to the use of BT maize in Kenya and the reaction of the biotech companies to this use of cheap, natural alternatives to genetic engineering. (8 mins.) The upcoming screening on the 27th August is the third such screening organised by Auckland Indymedia and is part of our aim to provide a regular forum for alternative political documentaries and media art. Queries Ph. (9) 631-5810 or email: auckland@indymedia.org www.indymedia.org.nz

Friday, August 29, 7pm, Pathfinder Press Bookshop, 7 Mason Ave, Otahuhu. (Off Great South Road, upstairs above laundromat.) HEAR RÓGER CALERO. Nicaraguan by birth and a U.S. permanent resident for more than 12 years, Róger Calero is associate editor of Perspectiva Mundial and a staff writer for the newspaper The Militant, both published in New York. He was seized on December 3, 2002 by immigration agents at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, when returning from reporting assignments in Cuba and Mexico. He was detained for 11 days until a public international campaign won his release. He then toured the United States, speaking out about his case and joining in solidarity with others under attack from the US government. He won backing from defenders of freedom of the press, supporters of the rights of immigrants, the union movement, and defenders of political rights. Under mounting pressure, the US government dropped its deportation case against Calero. Róger Calero is now on an international tour to share the lessons about his successful fight.

Friday, August 29, 7pm, Auckland City Art Gallery Auckland Premiere Screening and DVD release of 'Ngatahi - Know The Links' (parts one and two), a landmark New Zealand work by a visionary musician, artist and film maker. "Kia Kaha Productions is proud to announce the release of 'Ngatahi - Know The Links" a double disc 'rapumentary' (music documentary) produced, directed and edited by Dean Hapeta aka Te Kupu of Upper Hutt Posse. In 'Ngatahi' hip-hop, poetry, activism and music exists as one. Featuring footage and music from Cuba, Colombia, Hawaii, USA, Canada, Jamaica, France , England, Australia and Aotearoa, 'Ngatahi' is a medley of interconnected stories that tell of the history and actuality of survival and struggle in the face of colonisation, corruption and injustice. From Brixton to Harlem, Trenchtown to Waitangi, 'Ngatahi' is full of uplifting voices and stirring outpourings of many indigenous and marginalised peoples of the world. Starts 7pm sharp with part one (64 minutes), part two (94 minutes) and questions/answers with Te Kupu;, gold coin / koha entry. For more info contact email matakahi@paradise.net.nz

Friday, August 29, 8-11pm, Blockhouse Bay Community Centre, 524 Blockhouse Bay Road Earth Pulse Dance Party: GE Free fundraiser gig featuring didgeridoo grooves, funkadelic beat merchants, Brazilian Samba Music and multimedia show; from 8pm to 11pm at; $12 entry. For more info contact Matt (09) 820 3207 or email morpheusdidge@hotmail.com

Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31. Nga Kete Wananga Marae CULTURAL PROVOCATION - ART, ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE conference. Cultural Provocation is a marae-based hui and conference bringing together leading theorists, critics, artists and activists. Local and international contributors include project collaborator, writer and cultural theorist John Welchman (UK/USA), film maker Merata Mita (Ngati Pikiao) (NZ), art historian and critic Grant Kester (USA), Yes Men initiator, artist and activist Andy Bichlbaum, Parihaka (Taranaki Iwi) musician, activist and historian Te Miringa Hohaia (NZ). Aotearoa/New Zealand's social and political history has been punctuated by dramatic acts of "cultural provocation," symbolic gestures that have continued to challenge the values of the dominant culture. From the invasions of Parihaka and Maungapohatu, through to the 1981 Springbok Tour, Bastion Point, and a Nuclear Free nation, Aotearoa/New Zealand's distinct political identity has been fueled by and articulated through the images and iconography of artists. From Hone Heke to Tame Iti, Maori have been at the forefront of this tradition in Aotearoa/New Zealand and have played a central part in its examination, pointing up the conflicting values of coloniser and colonised. For information, and registration go to: http://www.manukau.ac.nz/culturalprovocation

Monday, September 1, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn GPJA FORUM: Can NZ be GE Free? Steve Abel (Greenpeace) and John Clearwater (PSRG - physicians and scientists for responsible genetics), also Jean Tallentyre from the AGEFC - Auckland GE free coalition will speak about the GE free register.

Sunday, September 7, 12.30pm, Freemans Bay Community Centre, 52 Hepburn St, Ponsonby Iraq fundraising lunch. The Umma Trust will be holding a Middle Eastern lunch to raise funds for the Nabeela Project, an initiative to support an orphanage and shelter Baghdad. Medical supplies from our earlier fundraising lunches are currently being delivered to Iraq. We look forward to your support. $20 donation. For further information contact Anne Moller Ph 3776516 or 021 363 460.

Friday, September 12, 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn. "The other September 11 - Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the coup in Chile” Nine eleven seventy three 091173: Memorial for Chile. A remembrance event for the victims of the military coup of 1973. The bloody coup was foster and financed by the CIA , Mr Nixon and Henry Kissinger and lead to the destruction of a long standing democracy in South America and to thousand of deaths, torture and disappearances .Poetry, Music, and an exclusive video interview with President Salvador Allende (1972). A documentary by Saul Landau. Special guest: Keith Lock MP Green Party. This event is part of the international commemoration activities of the 30th Anniversary of the Coup Justice Now!! Trial and Punishment !! No to impunity!! Organised by International Chile's network

Saturday, September 13, International day of action against corporate globalisation and war. Details tba. "From September 10 to 14, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will hold its Fifth Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Pushed by multinational corporations, the United States, the European Union, and other developed countries are seeking to launch a new round of 'free trade' negotiations and expand corporate globalisation - further eroding human rights, workers' rights, environmental protections, and democracy - in the interest of corporate control. Popular movements in Mexico and their international allies will mark these meetings with massive demonstrations to demand a world that puts democracy and human dignity ahead of corporate profits. Solidarity actions around the world will focus on September 13 as a Worldwide Day of Action Against Corporate Globalisation and War." Another world is possible - "We have before us a choice: the world of militarism and corporate globalisation, or a world built on global solidarity, rooted in a foundation of democracy, dignity, sustainability, and cooperation." For more info see United for Peace http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=1857

Sunday September 14, 2pm, Mangere People's Centre Hall, 366 Massey Rd, Mangere (beside the Mangere East Library) Launch of "ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT" is a major new housing report that shows while the current property boom may be good news for homeowners, one in five New Zealand families is facing housing-related problems, such as unaffordable rents, overcrowding and poor quality housing. Meanwhile, the government is hiding its indifference to their plight behind misleading Housing New Zealand statistics. Speakers include the Deputy Mayor of Manukau Anne Candy, Pasifika hip hop poet Rev Mua Strickson-Pua, Manurewa community board chair Sister Anne Hurley and Otara community worker Joanna Fuimaono. For more information about Room for Improvement, contact Alan Johnson: 266 5528, 025 79 1958 ajsemail@xtra.co.nz For more stories about the consequences of poor housing on children’s health, contact Dr Nikki Turner: 3737999, 021 790 693, n.turner@auckland.ac.nz For more information about the launch of Room for Improvement contact Janet McAllister: ph 363-5503 janetmcallister@slingshot.co.nz Child Poverty Action Group, P O Box 56-150, Dominion Rd, Auckland. www.cpag.org.nz

Monday, September 15, 7.30pm, Unite Office, Trades Hall, 147 great North Rd GPJA ORGANISING COMMITTEE meeting. All welcome.

Wednesday, September 17, 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn "The crisis facing the NZ health system and solutions needed" Open forum sponsored by Central Auckland Alliance Party. Contact 3763780.

MESSAGES

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF QPEC, Saturday 13th September 2003, Education House, Willis Street, Wellington from 10am - 3pm to discuss and develop a plan of action to put public education issues at the centre of government attention. This meeting is a follow up to the QPEC "Reclaim Public Education Conference" held last month in Palmerston North. For more details about the conference visit the QPEC Website at www.qpec.org.nz and check the Conference themes. .All welcome!

WAITAKERE MAYOR BOB HARVEY LAYS A COMPLAINT WITH THE RACE RELATIONS COMMISSIONER AGAINST MARGARET JONES AND CAP (Please distribute this information as widely as possible) On 9th July 2003 Citizens Against Privatisation staged a peaceful occupation of Waitakere City Council chambers in protest at the council having reneged on an undertaking to review the user -pays policy of water charging. Mayor Bob Harvey has subsequently been reported as likening the non-violent behaviour of the protesters to that of terrorists, and been rash enough to announce that he is taking one protester to the Race Relations Tribunal for a placard slogan he alleges is offensive to holocaust survivors. Harvey has also taken a complaint against C.A.P for allowing the sign to be displayed at a public meeting. Margaret Jones, known to most of you as a veteran protester against all forms of racism and fascism, and honoured by Mayor Harvey himself with a millenium medal for services to the community, had been incensed by the expulsion from the Council offices of anti-spray protester Helen Wiseman-Dare and the serving upon her of a two-year tresspass order- allegedly for swearing within the hearing of children. As an expression of her disgust, Margaret carried a placard with a slogan clearly using the swastika to compare the council's draconian action with that of fascists. Having lived through the Nazi era she has seen what the suppression of criticism can lead to. Margaret says "A woman has been prevented from speaking which has just what they used to do in Nazi Germany. I lived through all that and I know how Nazism began with little things like the cutting of free speech. I'm not suggesting that is what is happening here, but people need to be aware that this is just how these things get started". (Margaret's comments from the Western Leader). It is a complete reversal, both of her values and of her intentions, for Harvey to claim that she was intimidating the victims of fascism. Indeed it is outrageous that a lifelong campaigner against fascism should at the age 83 suffer the indignity of having to defend herself against such a preposterous accusation. All who know Margaret, together with all who value justice, should write to Harvey in protest. Also send copies to Waitakere City Councillors and as a letter to the editor of the Western Leader. If you address your letter after your name and title it an open letter hopefully it will printed in the newspaper. Harvey deserves mass condemnation for this outrage. .

The SEED CARRIERS HIKOI www.koanga.org.nz Help! We need someone in Auckland who can help us pull together/oversee our events/accommodation while in the Auckland City area. We have many people offering support, but urgently require a coordinator. For more information contact seedcarriers@pl.net We’ll be arriving at Auckland on Wednesday, 23rd September, starting with Kumeu, and leaving on Monday 29th from Papakura. We're hoping to visit schools, community gardens, community organizations, and hopefully have a large public event as well. If you’d like to be part of the network supporting this to happen, please contact us on seedcarriers@pl.net and we’ll put you all in touch with one and other and help organize a meeting to make it happen. Arohanui, Bob Corker - for the Seed Carriers Hikoi

Dear Peace Activists, We'd like to draw your attention to the latest FOREIGN CONTROL WATCHDOG (August 2003). There's plenty in it of direct relevance to you. The cover story is an 11 page article entitled "War Profiteers: Corporate Beneficiaries of the US War On Iraq". This is followed by a 7 page book review (entitled "Media Crap: The Corporate Spin On Iraq" ) of "Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You". And then there is a 7 page article entitled "The 'War On Terror': Out Of Sight But Not Out Of Mind" * There's plenty more. 15 fascinating pages on "Who Owns New Zealand's News Media? Can We Afford To Let Them Own Our News?" Plus there is the more standard material - a report on the Auckland event to announce the winners of the 2002 Roger Award for the Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in Aotearoa/New Zealand (won by Tranz Rail, for the third time); articles on: Comalco; the struggle by NZ seafarers to get back coastal shipping from the transnationals; the new international tobacco control treaty; a tribute to the late Neil Cherry; book reviews of "Battling Big Business" and of yet another autobiography by Mike Moore, New Zealand's gift to the world, of his term as Director of the World Trade Organisation; and last but never least, our never ending serial - a month by month report and analysis of who owns New Zealand (namely the rubber stamp approvals by the Government's Overseas Investment Commission). If you'd like a copy, send $5 and your name and postal address to us (details below). We have 40 spare copies available, so supplies are limited. First in, first served. Foreign Control Watchdog Box 2258, Christchurch, New Zealand cafca@chch.planet.org.nz

A new campaign for peace in Korea was launched on August 15, Liberation Day in both Koreas. The KOREAN PEACE CAMPAIGN is a New Zealand-based campaign organised by Korean Peace Committee to promote peace on the Korean peninsula, and to advocate resolution of issues between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the basis of peaceful negotiation between states in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. To SIGN ON to the Call for Peace in Korea go to http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~caplabtb/kpc / The Call is open for sign on until November 15, 2003, after which it will be presented to the NZ Government. If you would like a hard copy of the Call and sign-on sheet to circulate, put on peace stalls, etc. please e-mail christine.dann@clear.net.nz On the Korean Peace Campaign page - http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~caplabtb/kpc / - you can also find links to other Korean peace petitions, plus articles, statements, letters and press releases on the Korean situation.

Hamilton - Children's Peace Fair - "Kids Helping Kids - Children under 12 yrs. selling preloved toys, swap cards, crafts, etc. profits in aid of Save the Children Fund - Iraq. Hamilton City Council Reception Lounge, The Plaza, 10am-2pm Wed. 24 Sept. Patricia Waugh, 4 Louise Place, Hamilton. Tel: 07 856 1001 email davetricia@hnpl.net

PACIFIC COLONIALISM? Howard's Pacific Colonialism - Who benefits? http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=40&ItemID=4071

ENVIRONMENT Antibiotics in cattle not needed and they make us sick http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=3014 Move to clean up animal feed WHO says antibiotic growth promoters produce resistant bacteria http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/08/13/MN274879.DTL Coral reefs doomed, study says. Centuries of overfishing killing ecosystems http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/08/16/MN227977.DTL Weedkiller may boost toxic fungi http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994051

PALESTINE Israel Committed War Crimes in West Bank, Rights Group Says http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A64269-2002Nov3¬Found=true Journalists find “calm” when only Palestinians die http://www.fair.org/press-releases/relative-calm.html Up against the apartheid wall http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1839.shtml

ARMS RACE Gamma-ray weapons could trigger next arms race http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994049

FREE TRADE - WTO / IMF Free trade leads to torrent of trouble. Confused bureaucracies, lawsuits, secret rulings - should Australia worry? David Elias reports. One-fifth of the world's fresh water is stored in Canada, in picturesque glaciers, woodland streams and lakes, but does it belong to Canada? http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/22/1061529334881.html Aziz Choudry report on WTO http://www.asej.org/downloads/WTO (81903)Green_Paper4.pdf The IMF is a poisoned chalice, by George Monibot http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story/0,9321,1021559,00.html

ANTIWAR NZ / UK / USA / AUSTRALIA Embassy weapons inspectors charged in court today ‘The seventeen people who were arrested in February for attempting to conduct a citizen's weapons inspection of the United States Embassy in Wellington are in court today. Said Peace Action Wellington spokesperson Valerie Morse http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0308/S00142.htm Two thirds of Brits say government deceived them on Iraq http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/24/npoll24.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/24/ixnewstop.html Poll reveals Americans turn against Iraq occupation http://www.msnbc.com/news/956458.asp Australian case for war was fabricated http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/story.jsp?story=436350

IRAQ No one can pretend the occupation is bringing peace and democracy. Yet the US, eager to blame 'foreign' terrorists, will not admit that Iraqi resistance is organised and growing http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=436565 Former UN chief: bomb was payback for collusion with US http://www.sundayherald.com/36222 Writing in the Daily Mirror, JOHN PILGER identifies the root cause of the bloody bombing of the UN compound in Baghdad, which Washington and London have blamed this on 'extremists from outside' http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133079 Resisters of US occupation are now labeled "terrorists." But the methods now being employed in Iraq were taught to the mujahadin by the CIA trainers in terror. Bombing and assassination instruction to men called "freedom fighters" at the time. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-8-2003_pg1_5 Why I attacked US troops http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=19690 Ex-Prisoners Allege Rights Abuses by U.S. Military http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11440-2003Aug18.html

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