Press Release: Police Intimidation at Sacred Ceremony

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People gathered in peace at Karanga Tangaroa on Thursday the 17th at Mission Bay in Auckland.

Karanga Tangaroa was a powerful and beautiful display of culture and traditional prayer. It affirmed our role as indigenous peoples in the Pacific to respect and to protect our ocean and each other against militarism.

We started with karakia, and then followed with wahine of the Pacific facing the Waitemata harbour and performing karanga to Tangaroa.

Tāwhirimātea and Ranginui sent a heavy rain shower in support of the wahine who stood at the water's edge, conducting sacred rituals of karakia and karanga.

The rain eased once the tapu (sacred) proceedings had finished, the sun burst through the clouds and a speaking circle commenced sharing korero about the kaupapa of the day.

It was described by many who attended as a profoundly moving and sacred event.

The proceedings of the day ended by enjoying a shared bbq lunch.

Despite the success of the day, many were traumatised by the heavy handed tactics of the policing especially considering the nature of the event.

Tina Ngata felt that "the actions of the police were indisputably intended to bully and intimidate us. They employed paramilitary tactics against a peaceful, sacred gathering of indigenous women. This is an abuse of our human rights to gather and pray, a clear example of the racist nature of policing against Maori in New Zealand.”

The Pacific Panther Network wants to know why was a police helicopter hovering over and intimidating and defiling the sacred ceremony at karanga Tangaroa ?

Why were a substantial number of police present armed with long batons and a paddy wagon at a family friendly event ?

A police photographer was also present. A senior police officer who when questioned as to why the police were present in such force disclosed that “the police were present as part of an official police operation”.

He refused to disclose any more details about this police operation when questioned further.

Marama Davison who performed karanga with other wahine on the day adds : “There was no need for such an overdone amount of police at such a peaceful event. Around the world state forces are being used as intimidation tactics and that actually goes against international human rights law”.

The Pacific Panthers will be pursuing a formal complaint about heavy handed policing directed at a peaceful cultural ceremony. [End]

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