Statement by Vice President of MANA John Minto

A Bruised Community and Battered Protestors – Glen Innes Last Night

Wednesday 18th April

The first state house left Glen Innes last night on the back of a truck with a massive police escort and left in its wake a bruised community, battered protestors and one woman taken to Auckland hospital by ambulance after she had a seizure resulting from the treatment she received at the hands of the police.

The combination of an overkill police presence, night time and no media presence, resulted in police acting with thuggish abandon towards a small group (myself included) who were passively resisting the movement of the house.

In the best tradition of passive resistance we formed a line across the road to slow the movement of the house down Silverton Road. The police waded in with unwarranted violence against the mainly local women on the line.

I personally received several injuries during the protest and a subsequent gratuitous and violent arrest for alleged obstruction.

The community is resisting the forced removal of state house tenants and their houses from the slopes of northern Glen Innes to make way for private, high-cost housing developments.

The events of last night underline Mana’s call for a four-week moratorium to all a cooling off period and the chance for the community to discuss a litany of broken government promises.

ends

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