From: The Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill
'There will be an urgent protest march on Saturday, October 1st at 2pm
starting from Cuba Mall stage to oppose the government's plan to
retrospectively legalise illegal video surveillance by the police,' said
Batch Hales, member of the Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance
Bill.
'The State is set to legalise unlawful video surveillance by police to
cover cases already before the criminal courts. In doing so, they are
validating illegal conduct deliberately engaged in by the police. They
plan to pass this law under urgency within the next week. This is an
outrage. People across the country are deeply concerned about this issue.
We must stop this further fundamental assault on our freedoms and roll
back the expanded police state.'
'Most people will have heard that John Key wants to legalise police
breaking the law and planting secret surveillance cameras inside people´s
homes so that it applies retrospectively - eg. to cases that have already
been investigated and are now being prosecuted. That is, quite simply,
contrary to fundamental constitutional principle and a serious violation
of individual human rights. It is the police who should be prosecuted.'
'As importantly is the revelation that the police are breaking the law ALL
THE TIME. This use of secret video surveillance is in widespread use by
police without any legal authority. The police break the law, and then
they hope that the court system will allow it under the Evidence Act.
Along with this urgent bill, the Search and Surveillance Bill needs to be
thrown out.'
'The expansion of State surveillance is fundamentally about controlling
the population. It comes at a time of high unemployment, when the entire
benefit system is being gutted and public services privatised.
Surveillance by the State is about controlling the growing poor and
underclass in our society who have nothing to lose, because they have
nothing. They are being squeezed at every point: the State is seeking to
repress any resistance to the greed of the rich and powerful who have been
busy taking corporate welfare, and stealing resources and land.'
'We must resist the police state in all its forms - all the mechanics of
control and compliance that require we sacrifice freedom for manufactured
lies and fear about `criminals´.' concluded Batch.
