Comments on: The Tale of the Other Protest http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/10/18/the-tale-of-the-other-protest/ Feminist, anti-racist, pro-fat, plus whatever else we feel like talking about. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:59:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Maia http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/10/18/the-tale-of-the-other-protest/#comment-194670 Maia Thu, 19 Oct 2006 05:50:53 +0000 http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/10/18/the-tale-of-the-other-protest/#comment-194670 I don't think there's a law like that in New Zealand. There is a law against obstruction, but it's pretty vague. The problem was that the police were the ones obstructing the entrance ways and reducing them to really narrow paths, so they'd be hard pushed to argue that the protesters were obstructing. Plus the police couldn't really arrest anyone - they were out numbered and had penned themselves in. I don’t think there’s a law like that in New Zealand. There is a law against obstruction, but it’s pretty vague.

The problem was that the police were the ones obstructing the entrance ways and reducing them to really narrow paths, so they’d be hard pushed to argue that the protesters were obstructing.

Plus the police couldn’t really arrest anyone - they were out numbered and had penned themselves in.

]]> By: SamChevre http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/10/18/the-tale-of-the-other-protest/#comment-194386 SamChevre Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:03:37 +0000 http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/10/18/the-tale-of-the-other-protest/#comment-194386 <i>This made it really easy for protesters outside each entrance to stop those going to the conference getting in or out. There were over 200 people there for most of the afternoon (people came and went), and every entrance to Te Papa was blockaded</i> Is this legal in NZ? In the US, for the situations with which I'm familiar (labor and pro-life protests), blocking entrances is explicitly illegal, as is "interfering with entrance" (often defined to include shouting at people entering)--you can get a year in prison for a first offense. This made it really easy for protesters outside each entrance to stop those going to the conference getting in or out. There were over 200 people there for most of the afternoon (people came and went), and every entrance to Te Papa was blockaded

Is this legal in NZ? In the US, for the situations with which I’m familiar (labor and pro-life protests), blocking entrances is explicitly illegal, as is “interfering with entrance” (often defined to include shouting at people entering)–you can get a year in prison for a first offense.

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