Day of Protest: Auckland NZ, Nov 17 2007

Well, my first political or any protest for that matter went off without a hitch today. No violence, no spitting, no guns, no hakas but plenty of well placed anger, at Helen Clark and the Sisterhood who want to pass the anti democratic Electoral Finance Bill, that will allow unrestrained spending of taxpayer dollars by Labour Pollies in Election year but the ability for private citizens to do likewise will be limited, otherwise the slammer for you buddy.

About 5000 protested the bill as they marched down Auckland's Queen St, not the 2000 reported in the NZ Herald. "1,2,3,4 we don't want your fascist law" rang out as the crowd centered down at Britomart after the half mile trek from the Town Hall.

Old people and young people alike got together on a sunny hot Saturday to protest what could be illegal next year.

I was expecting around 2000 but the crowd was at least double that.

There were banners that read "fascist" anti Clarke banners,a stuffed Winston Peters(how appropriate) New Zealand flags and individuals who symbolically had their mouths taped.



Speeches at Britomart included the organiser John Boscowen who mentioned a letter to the editor from Peter Davies, Helen Clark's Husband, who refuted that the bill was an anti democratic piece of filth and noted he was from the sociology department of Auckland University but had neglected to mention his relationship to the big cheese. My man Leighton Smith from Newstalk ZB was there, his first political protest too, he added that he didn't usually like to get involved in such things but felt so strongly about the cause that he just had to.

Touchingly there was also an 80 plus year old veteran from WW2 and Boscowen reminded the crowd what it was he had fought for and of course it was the same reason we were all there today.

Freedom and democracy.

C Darren Rickard: Images & Content