GE-Free Camp: Dawn on Independence Day
By John Anderson
Images courtesy of GE Free Coalition
As dawn lifted on the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1835, 80 people woke to a new
day after resisting government pressure to shut down their camp which is pushing for a GE-Free New Zealand. The mood is
jubliant and peaceful.
Overnight, people have donated food, tents, and moral support to the campers. By 9:00PM last night the amount of tents
had doubled by to 14 and there were 100 determined citizens on Parliament grounds in peaceful defiance of Jonathon
Hunt's orders.
Members of the public showed aroha and support by donating food and tents, and joining them.
As one protestor said "Biosecurity is the biggest issue at the moment. The Government is against the mandate of the
people. We're damp, but we're still laughing"
There will be an information stall about the Declaration of Independence as part of the camp today. Activist Kate Lowe
said "To me the GE issue is a part of the continuing process of colonisation. The failure of the Government to listen to
tangata whenua on this issue is symptomatic of Crown and Maori relations over time. They have shown a systematic
disregard of the Maori worldview".
Campers are inviting more people to come and join them in their peaceful resistance to the Government.