PRESS RELEASE

MANA Vice President John Minto

Harawira Arrested at Peaceful Protest

Friday 12th October

MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau Hone Harawira has been arrested at a peaceful protest at Glen Innes.

At approximately 11.30 pm on Thursday the 11th of October, members of the New Zealand Police smashed the back window of a vehicle that Harawira had parked over the driveway of a state house that was being removed. Harawira was removed from the vehicle and is being detained in a paddy wagon along with seven other protestors. There were approximately 40 protestors and the same number of police.

“Hone was simply exercising his human right to take part in a peaceful protest” states fellow protestor and MANA Vice President John Minto. “He was deeply moved when he witnessed three young women being arrested from the roof of the state house being removed”.

“Hone has been involved for some time standing alongside a community that is against the government acting on behalf of private developers that want to rip the heart out of their community. The Minister of Housing, Phil Heatley, needs to realise that this community will not take their homes being forcibly removed for profit, lying down. The situation continues to escalate as more and more people join the call to stop a government that is dancing to the tune of greedy property developers. The government is simply adding stress to the lives of people who are already struggling to make ends meet”.

“Hone and the other protestors are heroes tonight. They have laid their bodies on the line against the might of the government who are determined to evict people from their homes”.

“Shame on this government for yet again picking on the poor”.

ENDS

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