Locke Keith: General Debate 
Locke Keith: General Debate 
[Volume:642;Page:12442] 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 I wish to address the issues raised by the police arrest of 17 people on arms charges and possibly further charges to be laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act. I first say that the Green Party is totally against the use of violence in the pursuit of political aims; one of the four principles in our Green charter is non-violence. The Green Party cannot pass judgment on the guilt or innocence of those charged. The evidence has yet to be brought before the court and tested there. However we are concerned about talk of using the Terrorism Suppression Act in those cases. We opposed that Act when it was brought in back in 2002 just as we oppose the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill that is currently before the House. Any offence that those arrested could possibly have committed is already covered under the Crimes Act or other criminal legislation. The Crimes Act covers everything from planning violent acts to criminal conspiracy and to being a member of a criminal group. 
To use the Terrorism Suppression Act is to say that those who commit crimes from a political motivation are doing a worse thing than those who commit the same crimes for pecuniary advantage such as in an armed robbery of a bank or for other selfish reasons such as in the violence and intimidation conducted by gangs. Also to single out those who use force to achieve political goals and to charge them under the terrorism laws which carry heavier penalties than if those crimes had been non-political tends to tarnish those who are trying to achieve similar political goals by peaceful means. For example both violent individuals and a peaceful group might have the same aim of saving a rainforest or helping Maori to hold on to some land. 
Having a special category of politically motivated crime can also help to create an atmosphere of belief that very peaceful political groups somehow spawn violent extremists. The peaceful groups then find themselves facing unnecessary hostility and sometimes undue harassment and surveillance by State agencies. Rather than being reservoirs of violence community groups are the seedbeds for peace. The fact that we are nuclear-free today and did not go into the Iraq war are to a large extent due to many years of hard work by peace groups and by many many community organisations. We must always welcome the diversity of issues groups non-governmental organisations and community organisations of all sizes and complexions in New Zealand. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Parliament is an important platform for political debate and we are the technicians of legislative change but the driving force of progress in New Zealand is our active civil society. 
Now and again individuals who have been active in peaceful community organisations go off the rails but that is not new and it is in no way a reflection on the peaceful nature of community groups. It happened in the 1960s when the Bower brothers went to prison for blowing up an air force depot in Auckland to protest against the Viet Nam War. It happened again during the 1981 Springbok tour when someone sabotaged the microwave link used for broadcasting the rugby tests. Individuals from any political organisation right or left can go off the rails but they are less likely to contemplate violent solutions if the institutions of the State are known for their respect and tolerance of dissent and for their respect for the work of community groups. 
Over the past few days concern has been expressed by Tuhoe elders and leaders of community groups in Wellington and Christchurch that the raids were conducted in a way that did not show sufficient respect. The police have a bit of explaining to do as to why they inconvenienced so many Tuhoe in order to arrest the well-known public figure Tame Iti at his Ruatoki home. And they could have shown a bit more patience in Wellington before smashing glass and breaking into— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I just want to caution the member that charges have already been laid and he can no longer make any further comments in relation to the subject he is narrating. 
KEITH LOCKE 
: I am talking about the raids not the charges. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Well I am cautioning the member. He needs to be very careful— 
KEITH LOCKE 
: Thank you. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: —given the Speaker’s ruling yesterday. 
KEITH LOCKE 
: Yes. I am not going to refer to the charges. The police could have shown a bit more patience in Wellington before smashing glass and breaking into 128 Abel Smith Street which the police knew was a well-used community house. They also knew that it was the residence of Sam Buchanan and his family Sam being a longstanding and respected activist on peace and social justice issues.