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- Greens Condemn London Bombings.
- Targeting The Innocent
- Keeping Up The Pressure To Call Off The Black Caps Tour
On 8 July the Green Party Co-Leaders and Foreign Affairs spokesperson issued a joint statement condemning the bombings which had just taken place in London, and saying that there is no cause important enough to justify the killing and maiming of innocent people.
“Our hearts go out to those affected by the London terrorist bombings,” Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said.
“There can be no cause that would justify such abhorrent acts. We, like the rest of New Zealand, are appalled by the deaths and the terrible injuries inflicted on innocent people,” she says.
Co-Leader Rod Donald said: “We have written to the British High Commission expressing our deepest sympathies to the British people. This was a terrible act of senseless violence that must be condemned by everyone.”
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Keith Locke has written to the British Green Party [see Analysis, below] expressing the New Zealand Greens’ great sadness at the loss of life in the terrorist bombings.
Read
the release
.
is a common feature in recent waves of politically motivated violence, and the Greens condemn it. On 10 July, commenting on the vandalism of Auckland mosques the night before, Human Right Spokesperson Keith Locke said:
“Those who vandalised the Auckland mosques last night were doing the same thing as the London bombers – targeting the innocent. No grievance justifies such attacks against ordinary people, whether they be on a London bus or in an Auckland mosque.
“Whether the London bombings were carried out by Christians, Moslems or atheists is beside the point. They came out of extremist politics, not the tenets of any world religion.
“The ‘RIP’ daubings are particularly repugnant. We must unflinchingly support the Moslem people of New Zealand against such death threats. They must be very fearful today.
“Many in the Islamic community are recent migrants, who came here because they saw New Zealand as a haven of peace and tolerance. We now have to work hard to reassure them that this is so.
“Just as our hearts went out to the Jewish community when their graves were vandalised, so must we stand alongside the Islamic community when it is under attack,” Keith said.
Read
Keith’s release
.
. Hundreds turned out to hear ex-Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga on his whirlwind tour of New Zealand last week, and this week many will want to hear another prominent Zimbabwean exile, Judith Todd.
For recent Green releases on the issue go to:
Greens – Human Rights
.
and click on these stories:
Govt should act on Kiwis’ call to declare Zimbabwe tour illegal
(18 Jul 2005).
Snedden misreads public mood on cricket tour
. (17 Jul 2005).
Govt should reconsider its stance on Zimbabwe tour legislation
. (16 Jul 2005).
Asking players to wear armbands is a cop-out
. (14 Jul 2005).
Greens urge Kiwis to send a message to Helen on Zimbabwe
(13 Jul 2005).
Action
- Judith Todd Tour
- Send An E-Card
- Auckland — Rally For Tolerance
— daughter of Sir Garfield Todd and campaigner for human rights in Zimbabwe is arriving in New Zealand later this week to join the campaign to stop the New Zealand Cricket Tour to Zimbabwe — scheduled for August. She is being brought to New Zealand by Global Peace and Justice Auckland.
Sir Garfield Todd was the New Zealander who was Prime Minister of Rhodesia and leading the country towards independence before he was ousted by the Ian Smith regime in 1965 which declared UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence) and cemented in place white minority rule.
Wellington Friday 22 July
, 8pm St Andrews on the Terrace
Christchurch Tuesday 26 July
, 8pm Christ Church cathedral, the square
Dunedin Thursday 28 July
, 7.30pm Octagon Club, 8 The Octagon
— stop the Black Caps tour. Really easy — just go to
Greens – Zimbabwe Tour e-Card
and start clicking.
. In the aftermath of night-time attacks on six Auckland mosques, the Council of Christians & Muslims has called a rally in defence of tolerance.
2.30pm on Sunday 24th July
Aotea Square, Auckland City.
Analysis
- Letter To UK Greens Regarding London Bombings
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Ken Livingstone, Mayor Of London, On London Bombings
. Ken Livingstone responded to the terrorist attacks in London with a powerful call for diversity, harmony and tolerance on 7 July.Ken Livingstone “This was a cowardly attack, which has resulted in injury and loss of life. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been injured, or lost loved ones. I want to thank the emergency services for the way they have responded.
Following the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11 in America we conducted a series of exercises in London in order to be prepared for just such an attack. One of the exercises undertaken by the government, my office and the emergency and security services was based on the possibility of multiple explosions on the transport system during the Friday rush hour. The plan that came out of that exercise is being executed today, with remarkable efficiency and courage, and I praise those staff who are involved.
I’d like to thank Londoners for the calm way in which they have responded to this cowardly attack and echo the advice of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair – do everything possible to assist the police and take the advice of the police about getting home today.
I have no doubt whatsoever that this is a terrorist attack. We did hope in the first few minutes after hearing about the events on the Underground that it might simply be a maintenance tragedy. That was not the case. I have been able to stay in touch through the very excellent communications that were established for the eventuality that I might be out of the city at the time of a terrorist attack and they have worked with remarkable effectiveness. I will be in continual contact until I am back in London.
I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.
That isn’t an ideology, it isn’t even a perverted faith – it is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder and we know what the objective is. They seek to divide Londoners. They seek to turn Londoners against each other. I said yesterday to the International Olympic Committee, that the city of London is the greatest in the world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why I’m proud to be the mayor of that city.
Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.
I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others – that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.
In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.
They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don’t want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.”
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United Future Embarrassed
On 20 July a powerpoint presentation posted on the front page of the United Future website compared Peter Dunne with other party leaders along different lines, one being that he “does not have a wife who is from Singapore”. Peter Dunne described those web pages as a “bit of a joke”, but a lot of us didn’t see the Singapore page as that funny. The web pages were later removed.
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Dear Green Friends,
The Green Party of Aotearoa/New Zealand wishes to express its great sadness at the loss of life, serious injury and widespread trauma caused by the terrorist bombings in London yesterday.
This was an atrocious act that targeted ordinary Londoners travelling on public transport.
At the time of writing, those behind the bombings have not yet been identified, but we would like to state that no political cause justifies such murderous acts. We hope those responsible are tracked down and brought to justice.
Some have speculated that the attacks may have been timed to coincide with the G8 Summit in Britain. If so, they have undermined the cause of those, including Greens around the world, who want the G8 to seriously address global poverty and climate change.
We have been inspired by the engagement of the British people, including British Greens, with the cause of ending world poverty, both at Live 8 and in marches around the site of the G8 meeting.
We understand that the question of terrorism may now be more prominent on the G8 agenda, but we hope the leaders don’t take their eye off the ball in dealing with the critical issues of world poverty and global warming.
Terrorism and poverty are interlinked problems, in that the despair of the poor can be a breeding ground for terrorism. Achieving social equality and justice in the world is the best protection against terrorism such as that seen in London yesterday.
Our feelings are with the British Greens, particularly the London Greens, at this time of great distress.
JustPeace was produced by Christine Dann, Tim Hannah and Keith Locke, MP
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