The Anti-Bases Campaign, which has campaigned for 20 years for the closure of the Waihopai spybase, congratulates the ANZAC Ploughshares group for their brilliant and courageous action today which has left one of Waihopai's Big Balls deflated and the secret State with egg all over its face. We know no more about the action than anybody else and we have relied on the media for our information. Those arrested are known to us, having taken part in some of our most recent activities at the base and in Blenheim. There is a long history of cooperation between our two groups but the action today was entirely of Ploughshares' inspiration. And bloody good on them, we say.

The Waihopai spybase is New Zealand's single most important contribution to all American-led wars, much more so than any SAS heroics in Afghanistan, for instance. Despite being under nominal New Zealand control, it is, in everything but name, an American spybase operating on New Zealand soil and at our expense. So the Ploughshares action has struck a blow right at the heart of the US military and intelligence empire, with which "nuclear free and independent" New Zealand remains fully complicit. In every sense of the word, Waihopai makes New Zealand a satellite of the US. For details of what Waihopai does, see www.converge.org.nz/abc

ABC has always called for the closure of the base. If the spineless politicians won't do it, whether out of ignorance or ideology or both, then it is left up to the people of NZ to do the job for them. ABC has always supported non-violent direct action in relation to Waihopai protests and today's action is a textbook example. It is a symbolic action (the dome's function is to hide which civilian satellites the dish beneath is spying on), where nobody got hurt and all that was damaged was, literally, a lot of very expensive air, which will generate the usual outpouring of hot air from those left redfaced by this major security breach. Those responsible have fronted up to take the consequences of their actions and we salute their courage in doing so. We know these people and the word "terrorist" is completely inapplicable to them.

However briefly, ANZAC Ploughshares have actually closed Waihopai and they have, quite literally, exposed the secrets hidden within, the crimes committed in our name by an outpost of US Intelligence on our soil.

We've always said that Waihopai constitutes the biggest balls in Marlborough. Today ANZAC Ploughshares gave that blot on our national conscience a thoroughly well deserved kick in the balls.

Murray Horton

ENDS

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