Whose Independence?

The United States Ambassador Charles Swindell had his 4th of July party crashed by Peace Action Wellington (PAW) last night.

The party, held at Skyline restaurant in Kelburn, was picketed by fifty protesters uniting under the banner ‘whose independence?’ and calling for the expulsion of Swindell.

The group condemned the celebration of American independence as ‘bizarre and grotesque, since the United States is denying the independence not only of Iraq, but also of Afghanistan and a multitude of other nations around the world’.

Through The Window Darkly

Invitees, including Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast and National Leader Bill English, had to walk past a line of rowdy picketers who denounced their presence at the event as ‘shameful’.

PAW member John Anderson said ‘While these elite few are stuffing their faces with spit-roasted chicken and cocktails, people in Iraq are living in terror of US raids on their houses and are fearful for relatives held in illegal detention camps’.

Valerie Morse, another member of PAW, said that similar demonstrations in Iraq have been met with lethal force by the occupying powers.

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