This Saturday, the 2nd of November from 12pm, Tāmaki Makaurau Anarchists will be taking part in a protest in Manukau Square that will be organised by People Against Prisons Aotearoa. This protest is in response to the announcement by Police Commissioner Mike Bush that heavily armed police units will soon be roaming neighbourhoods in Waikato, Canterbury, and Counties Manukau.

“These militarized squads will be prowling the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in our communities,” say Tāmaki Makaurau Anarchists. “Māori are already 8 times more likely to be victims of violence at the hands of police, and having heavily armed police lurking in predominantly Māori communities is only going to see this racist violence skyrocket.”

Tāmaki Makaurau Anarchists strongly oppose the increased militarisation of the police. “This announcement comes without any consultation from the public, and with no justification for heavily arming roaming police squads. There has been no increase in gun violence, and firearm use in alleged assaults on police have been declining every year since they first started recording these.”

“There is no justification for having militarised police squads, and it will only cause our communities to be at greater risk of fatalities at the hands of an already disproportionately violent police force.”

This protest is open to the general public and anyone who is concerned about the encroachment of armed police on civil liberties in Aotearoa New Zealand. Along with being organised by People Against Prisons Aotearoa, it is supported by Tāmaki Makaurau Anarchists, Auckland Peace Action, and Organise Aotearoa.

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