[pf] Anti-GMOs-in-the-environment rally: dj and dancing in the streets

These are the reports I've got; the top one from a Green, others ...  D.

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At 07:58 2/9/2001 +1200, Danna Glendining wrote to GreenNews-NZ:
Subject: [GN]Auckland rally

Despite the weather the Auckland rally was really great. A huge thanks to
Russel, Annette & all the others who organised it.

I counted / calculated about 7,000 but TV One told Jeanette 10,000 so I am
happy to go with that. Lots of children, families, mixed ages and, best of
all, very few people I knew, so not the same old protesting faces.

It drizzled during the march, but didn't really start to pour until almost
the end of the speeches etc. & even then didn't stop people
enthusiastically dancing on & getting very, very wet. Despite the threat of
GE it was a happy / positive march with lots of laughs etc.

Quite a large Alliance presence during the march with special Alliance
banners as they had their Council meeting in Auckland. [Alliance are the
smaller-partner in the NZ government.] I hear they voted to have the
moratorium extended until things are safe. Them coming out strongly will
put more pressure on Labour [larger-partner.].

Not huge Green Party visibility which is good if we want the fight for GE
Free to be seen as going far beyond the Green Party, but from a GP point of
view we don't want to lose our leadership of the issue, I expect. We could
have probably usefully handed out GP material towards the end & vastly
increased our list of contacts/members.

As we approached Aotea Square I noticed a couple of pro-GE people with
banners (Farmers support GE, Careful Management of GE, or something)
scuttling away enouraged by the Police & the abuse of the GE Free
supporters. Someone said there was about a dozen. I expect they feared for
their lives with the approaching throng ! [D.'s version (we were near the
tail of the march/dance); some of the "Farmers" were in the parade from the
beginning, near the back. The guy on the bicycle and the 3 "Farmers" called
out their slogans, and the marchers responded with theirs, but there was no
threat that I saw; anyway, the bike guy was protesting a misunderstanding:
that the "No GE" slogan meant "no research into GE-d sources of medicine";
the march was against letting genetically modified living organisms into
the New Zealand environment, quite specifically. Another march slogan was
"Keep GE in the lab!"]

The address system at Aotea Square was not all that powerful so I didn't
really hear the speeches etc., so it probably didn't matter that Jeanette
did not get to speak. I didn't see much sign of the promised celebrities,
other than in yesterday's Herald. Maybe I am now too old to recognise the
current icons ? Great that David Lange [Prime Minister of NZ, 1984-1990]
came out strongly in favour of being GE Free on economic grounds on Kim
Hill's [National Radio] programme on Friday. Back at the rally: Gary
Clarkson had a good rave & song on behalf of TRP [Te Roopu Pounamu, the
Maori wing of The NZ Greens]. In fact there seemed to be a good Maori
presence, which is an important signal to the Government.

The only criticisms I would have are that the toilets in the Aotea Centre
were mostly locked & no one had told the food stalls in the Square to
expect thousands of customers - so there were long queues at both
facilities that were available.

As we walked down to the start of the march I was aware of the large
proportion of Asians now in Auckland & wonder whether we should be doing
some targeting of them on the GE issue & for the Green Party. Almost none
actually on the march. [Auckland is now quite cosmopolitan, & becoming more
so.]

Today I am very sore & stiff - I suspect as a result of getting pretty damp
& not getting home in the Waikato until 6.30 p.m. Fortunately John had
taped the TV news - which looked great.
  With four demonstrations in the last week I hope that is all for the
moment & I can get back to managing the Parliamentary Office. But first
Fathers' Day & a family lunch to celebrate that.

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,924733a1500,FF.html
  has:
  
“PROTEST: Thousands of Aucklanders packed Aotea Square to voice their
opposition to genetically engineered food.
JASON OXENHAM/Auckland Stuff Newsroom 
Beast is unleashed - but what now? 
02 September 2001 

By GEOFF CHAPPLE and ROBYN MCLEAN
An organiser of the big GE-free protest admits the movement is in disarray
as it considers how it handles the potent political force it has unleashed. 

The "Keep New Zealand GE Free" rally in Auckland yesterday, attended by at
least 10,000 people, ended with participants being urged to write to MPs
and get active.
 ...
"In Auckland the coalition has come from all angles - Alannah (Currie) has
come at it from the celebrity angle, others from different angles and we
have to settle our approach."

The protest was the biggest in New Zealand for 20 years - and those who
braved steady rain in Queen St had a simple message: we don't want genetic
engineering here.

The marchers, who travelled from as far away as Wellington and Kaitaia
noisily condemned plans to introduce GE.”

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http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0109/S00001.htm
  has:
  “Scoop Images: GE Free NZ Rally Rocks Queen Street
Saturday, 1 September 2001, 7:10 pm
Article: Aotearoa Indymedia - AIM  

The GE Free NZ protest in Queen Street kicked off down in QE 2 Square with
a dj and dancing in the streets revelry. There were heaps of kids,
families, young and old. It was great to see some street theatre action
happening and generally colourful creative protesting.

The general feeling was up-beat and carnivalesque. The march went slowly up
Queen Street with no aggro that I noticed, and headed to Aotea Square for
speakers. The square was pretty much full and people hung banners and
protest signs on the Aotea Centre.

Several Maori speakers gave their perspective on GE and the final
enlightened aspect of it all was having a person on stage interpreting the
speeches into sign language.

Haven't seen quite as much political enthusiasm along Queen Street for a
long while.”

Images from Chloe of Aotearoa IndyMedia (AIM)… (See…
http://www.indymedia.org.nz

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sent on by David.
David MacClement [davd @ ihug.co.nz] (remove spaces)
http://davd.tripod.com/GrRR-010824_titles.html#top
http://www.geocities.com/davd.geo/index.html#top
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