Mana Candidate Advocating Terrorism?

  Mana Manukau East Candidate John Minto has made comments today stating that if elected, he will use any means necessary, including the use of ‘civil disobedience’ to make his electorate pokie machine free. Tamaki Independent candidate Stephen Berry today called upon Minto to define exactly what he means by the use of the term ‘civil disobedience.’

  “It appears to me that what John Minto is advocating is the use of illegal force to strip individuals of their freedom of choice and destroy the property rights of businesses. That is the advocacy of terrorism. If ‘civil disobedience’ does not mean the destruction of pokie machines and preventing individuals from exercising their liberty, what does it mean?”

  Berry has noticed the left have spun this term in the past to cover up its evil intent. “When genetically modified plants were controversial several years ago, the left ran camps training participants in methods of civil disobedience which involved destroying private property.  I suspect that John Minto is an advocate of such methods for dealing with pokie machines. Until he is clearer on his definition of civil disobedience, I will continue to suspect so.”

  Stephen Berry believes that nothing should be done by the Government to deal with pokie machines. He believes that the owners of such machines should not be required to donate any of their proceeds to charities, nor should there be any regulations other than ensuring they are not accessible to children.

  “This is an issue of personal responsibility, free enterprise and freedom of choice. Those are all concepts that John Minto and the Mana party do not believe in. I am fully aware of the dangers of over indulging in the use of pokie machines, having had my own problems with them years ago; however I do not think for a second that the negative experiences some people have with them are any justification for the wholesale destruction of other individual’s liberty.”

  Ends

  Stephen Berry Independent candidate, Tamaki

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