Saturday19th August – last march before threat of tasers?

The last march before the threat of police tasers has been planned to stop their introduction into policing practice in New Zealand. The police plan to arm themselves with tasers – initially in Auckland and Wellington – from next month.

(The taser stun gun fires two barbed metal darts at the victim and delivers a 50,000volt electric shock. It is excruciatingly painful. Similar devices are used around the world as instruments of torture)

The march takes place from the bottom of Queen Street, Auckland at 12 noon on March 19th. A poster advertising it is attached.

“Overseas experience has shown that once tasers are introduced they rapidly become a substitute for tact and diplomacy on the part of police and their use escalates as a first line of policing instead of a last resort”, says Campaign Against The Taser.Com spokesperson Marie Dyhrberg.

“In the United States tasers have been used to police demonstrations and we expect the same pattern to develop here over time if the decision to introduce them here is not revoked”

“Most upsetting has been the government’s refusal to even debate this issue”, says Ms Dyhrberg. “For example they have refused to even discuss their decision to approve the introduction of tasers with a Campaign Against The Taser.Com delegation

More than 180 people have died after being tasered in North America. It will only be a matter of time before the first New Zealander is killed if tasers are introduced. The march will feature 180 crosses – one for each taser-related death so far.

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