Tanczos Defends Protesters Blockade

“Blockading the Crown Casino is one of the few avenues people have to make their point,” Green MP Nandor Tanczos said this morning, in response to criticism that the S11 protesters are obstructing the World Economic Forum delegates right to free speech.

National finance spokesman Bill English said on National Radio this morning that what Microsoft boss Bill Gates says will matter more to his children than what Mr Tanczos says.

“I think it matters more what his [Mr English’s] children say. It matters what the people say,” was Mr Tanczos’ response. “Bill Gates runs his empire in the interests of Bill Gates.”

“These people aren’t getting together to have a cup of tea and a chat. It’s the think tank behind the corporate global agenda,” Mr Tanczos said. “They get together to discuss how they’re going to run the world’s economies in their own interests.”

Mr Tanczos dismissed Mr English’s claim that the protesters have been more violent than Mr Tanczos and Fellow Green MP Sue Bradford have portrayed. “They haven’t spent much time out here at all,” he said.

“If it was just a bunch of hooligans like John Howard says, they would have trashed the place,” he said. He said not a single window was broken in the Crown Casino, although Mr English said a window was broken on his bus when he was leaving the casino last night.

“Compare that with 11 people hospitalised [by police] in the blockade Sue and I was on,” Mr Tanczos said. “Compare that to the 50 protesters who needed medical attention last night.”

Mr Tanczos said a New Zealand journalist who was holding a handicam was amongst those injured by police.

He said a couple of people jumping up and down on an Australian politician’s car doesn’t equate to widespread hooliganism in the crowd.

The bus Mr English spoke to Kim Hill from has broken through the protestors line, and the delegates are now at the casino.

Mr Tanczos is flying home today and was on his way to the airport when Scoop spoke to him.

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