Tuesday, 15 September, 2015

Citizens Begin Search at MFAT in Wellington for TPPA Documents

At 10am today, TPPA action group ‘Show us Ya Text’ converged on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade building in Wellington to seize the text of the TPPA.

Spokesperson Lizzie Sullivan said "The government’s secrecy in these negotiations is an insult to the people of New Zealand. They have not lived up to their obligations of a democratic society, so we have been forced to seize the text for the New Zealand public ourselves.”

Some members of the group were part of the “Search and Seizure” team, and lined up in rows of two while attempting to access the building. Others with vests identifying themselves as “Peacekeepers” formed a human chain around them while a crowd of supporters looked on.

“Citizens have come from around the country to participate in our search and seizure action, putting themselves on the line for the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who can’t. All those participating have undergone practical training in non-violent civil disobedience, the principles of which will be maintained throughout our action”, said Sullivan.

“Last week John Key noted that if we ‘had a beef’ over the TPPA we should take it up with him. So we invited our Prime Minister to meet us here at 10am to explain why he thinks the secrecy of these trade negotiations is justified, and how this is compatible with a supposedly open and democratic society.”

“We’ve been in contact with the police and anticipate their presence. All those partaking have been trained on how to deal with their force”, said Sullivan.

ENDS

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