Students oppose crackdown against protest at Auckland Uni

Students oppose crackdown against protest at the University of Auckland

University of Auckland Students are outraged at the authoritarian response to peaceful protests during human rights week on campus.

Last night a peaceful assembly of students occupying their library's basement were illegally detained by security guards and had police called on them by the university administration under the leadership of Stuart McCutcheon.

At a protest today in solidarity with Palestine, students were harassed and two people trespassed for merely expressing their democratic right to oppose persecution under unjust regimes.

Spokesperson Guy Cohn says, "This is an outrageous attack on our basic rights as students and our fundamental rights to free expression." He says, "`The university should not call the police on its own students."

Three were arrested last night, Cohn says, "The administration is actively creating a culture of fear and intimidation to maintain student apathy in the face of eroding democracy and the destruction of critical thought on campus."

Cohn says, “The university is a community of scholars, but the space for critical thinking is steadily being eroded. The failure of Stuart McCutcheon and the government is reflected by the University of Auckland's sliding down the international university rankings. We call for Stuart McCutcheon's immediate resignation, the restoration of the democratic structure of the university and police off campus."

ENDS