U.S. warns nationals away from New Zealand anti-TPP demonstration
US diplomats in New Zealand have warned U.S. nationals to avoid going near a march in Auckland to protest against the controversial 12-nation Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on Saturday.
14
August, 2015
WELLINGTON,
Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- United
States diplomats
in New Zealand have warned U.S. nationals to avoid going near a march
in Auckland to protest against the controversial 12-nation Trans-
Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on Saturday.
The
U.S. Consulate in Auckland put a notice on its website and
reportedly e-mailed U.S. nationals in New Zealand on Friday that New
Zealand police expected about 8,000 people would attend the march in
central Auckland at 1 p.m. local time.
"We
urge citizens to avoid the protest march route as even
demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational. We
remind citizens to always exercise caution when in the vicinity of
any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations," said the
notice on the website.
"The
Department of State remains concerned about the threat of violence
against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. U.S.
citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance, to be
aware of their surroundings and to take appropriate steps to
increase their security awareness."
The
Auckland march is expected to be the biggest of a series of protests
against the TPP scheduled for many of New Zealand's main centers on
Saturday.
Trade
spokesperson for the opposition Green Party, Russel Norman, told
Radio New Zealand that he would be joining the protests, and U.S.
citizens had nothing to fear.
"I'd
just say to the U.S. Embassy, Auckland isn't Ferguson and the police
won't be shooting people," Norman said.
"It'll
be a peaceful demonstration, they should just relax and maybe they
should come along -- they might learn something."
Opponents
have objected to the secrecy surrounding the TPP talks and claim
many of the provisions will undermine New Zealand' s sovereignty and
allow transnational corporations undue influence over the country's
laws and regulations.
Four
days of talks in Hawaii to finalize the deal stalled earlier this
month after countries failed to reach agreement, but Prime Minister
John Key said last week he expected it to be signed by the end of
this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.