Posts
Today is the day when New Zealand becomes a police state.
I learned more from this RT article than anything on local media.
New Zealand PM walks out of press conference amid spy bill grilling
During the media conference, Key also refused to answer a query regarding whether the GCSB would protect the country’s citizens – businesses or individuals – from warrantless spying by the Five-Eyes partners and their contractors, such as the NSA. The question was referring to a part in the new bill which would allow intelligence sharing with foreign agencies.
“We have the responsibility to protect the New Zealanders if we choose to…against credible threats,”Key responded, adding that he could only “admire” the questioner’s view on such an issue being a threat. However, he refused to share his own view on the subject.
More than 1,000 outraged New Zealanders on Monday packed Auckland’s Town Hall for a meeting to protest against the controversial GCSB bill. Speakers included opposition leaders, investigative journalists, and famous internet figures.
MEGA founder Kim Dotcom was among those openly expressing his opinion that the government is blatantly lying to the people.
“We’re being fooled into thinking this GCSB bill here is to protect us,” he said. “We have a prime minister in New Zealand who thinks he can just push this through with one vote against the will of New Zealanders,” Dotcom added.
Prime Minister Key recently made a remark in which he stated that the issue of quotas for snapper – a local fish variety – is far more popular with the New Zealanders than the GCSB bill.
“We got 124 submissions on the GCSB bill, and 30,000 on snapper,” Key said, adding that “people do not raise GCSB” at the public meetings he attends daily.
Following the statement, an angry group of anti-surveillance protesters brandished an effigy of a snapper with a human face that bore the Prime Minister’s features and left it at the doorstep of Key’s house. They also shouted slogans against homeland spying through megaphones.
Key, who previously stressed that citizens have the right to protest, responded by saying the demonstrators “definitely” crossed a line by staging the action.
Thousands of New Zealanders have been taking part in protests against the GCSB amendment, and many online activists have stepped up their efforts to raise the people’s awareness of the controversial bill.
I learned more from this RT article than anything on local media.
New Zealand PM walks out of press conference amid spy bill grilling
Tensions
are high in New Zealand over a new bill that would allow the
country’s GCSB agency to conduct warrantless NSA-style spying on
citizens. Prime Minister John Key, who was grilled on the bill at a
presser, cut the meeting short and left early
RT,
19
August, 2013
The
country’s top official on Monday was showered with questions on the
Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) amendment
bill,
answering some of them, and effortlessly evading others. However,
after less than 14 minutes of the presser, Key appeared to have lost
patience with the journalists and walked off, leaving a question on
privacy completely unanswered.
“Prime Minister, numerous legal jurors have informed us publicly that they disagree with you wholeheartedly, that you are taking broad powers, which would allow you to invade privacy…and you are saying that all those people are wrong…” a journalist said to Key.
“Correct,” the Prime Minister said before immediately interrupting the rest of the question by asking, “Is this a question buddy?”
He then indicated that the question contains the answer, thanked everyone, and left.
The New Zealand Law Society has published a submission opposing the GCSB amendment bill, in which it summarized citizens’ concerns and provided a detailed analysis of the absence of clear justification for several changes in the law.
“Prime Minister, numerous legal jurors have informed us publicly that they disagree with you wholeheartedly, that you are taking broad powers, which would allow you to invade privacy…and you are saying that all those people are wrong…” a journalist said to Key.
“Correct,” the Prime Minister said before immediately interrupting the rest of the question by asking, “Is this a question buddy?”
He then indicated that the question contains the answer, thanked everyone, and left.
The New Zealand Law Society has published a submission opposing the GCSB amendment bill, in which it summarized citizens’ concerns and provided a detailed analysis of the absence of clear justification for several changes in the law.
The
document particularly highlighted that “The Bill empowers the
GCSB to spy on New Zealand citizens and residents, and to provide
intelligence product to other government agencies in respect of those
persons, in a way not previously contemplated,” saying that
this is “inconsistent with the rights to freedom of expression
and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure under the New
Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (NZBORA) and with privacy interests
recognized by New Zealand law.”
Snapper on John Key's doorstep. #gcsb pic.twitter.com/35UP64QqcW
4 РЕТВИТА
During the media conference, Key also refused to answer a query regarding whether the GCSB would protect the country’s citizens – businesses or individuals – from warrantless spying by the Five-Eyes partners and their contractors, such as the NSA. The question was referring to a part in the new bill which would allow intelligence sharing with foreign agencies.
“We have the responsibility to protect the New Zealanders if we choose to…against credible threats,”Key responded, adding that he could only “admire” the questioner’s view on such an issue being a threat. However, he refused to share his own view on the subject.
More than 1,000 outraged New Zealanders on Monday packed Auckland’s Town Hall for a meeting to protest against the controversial GCSB bill. Speakers included opposition leaders, investigative journalists, and famous internet figures.
MEGA founder Kim Dotcom was among those openly expressing his opinion that the government is blatantly lying to the people.
“We’re being fooled into thinking this GCSB bill here is to protect us,” he said. “We have a prime minister in New Zealand who thinks he can just push this through with one vote against the will of New Zealanders,” Dotcom added.
Prime Minister Key recently made a remark in which he stated that the issue of quotas for snapper – a local fish variety – is far more popular with the New Zealanders than the GCSB bill.
“We got 124 submissions on the GCSB bill, and 30,000 on snapper,” Key said, adding that “people do not raise GCSB” at the public meetings he attends daily.
Following the statement, an angry group of anti-surveillance protesters brandished an effigy of a snapper with a human face that bore the Prime Minister’s features and left it at the doorstep of Key’s house. They also shouted slogans against homeland spying through megaphones.
Key, who previously stressed that citizens have the right to protest, responded by saying the demonstrators “definitely” crossed a line by staging the action.
Thousands of New Zealanders have been taking part in protests against the GCSB amendment, and many online activists have stepped up their efforts to raise the people’s awareness of the controversial bill.
View
full video of Prime Minister John Key's Monday presser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRBv3hD7zA#action=share
Campbell
Live GCSB roadie, poll end
89
per cent oppose the bill
20
August,2013
Our
Campbell Live GCSB road trip came to an end today. From the top of
the North to the deepest south, since last Monday we have travelled
more than 2500 kilometres, speaking to hundreds of people.
We
bring it to a close in Wellington, where tomorrow Parliament resumes.
Reporter Kate King approached from the South. But we begin with Whena
Owen approaching the capital from the North.
We
asked a simple question: Do you support or oppose the GCSB Bill?
But
it wasn't a text poll. Instead, as with the vast majority of the
submissions on the snapper quota, it was an online form, requiring
your name, address and email address before you could submit it to us
– no details, or a bounce back on your email address, your vote
wasn't counted.
Now,
as the Prime Minister told us last week, there have been more than
30,000 submissions on the snapper bill – almost all of them by
filling in an online form very similar to the one we asked you to
complete.
How
many did we get? 52,666 – way more than the online snapper
submissions, and in a much shorter time.
It's
also the biggest poll in TV3 history, significantly more than any
online or text poll either we or 3 News have ever run, and text polls
are much easier to vote in.
And
here's the results – 11 percent of you supported the GCSB bill.
That was 5879 votes. And 89 percent of you opposed it. That
was 46,790. If you didn't vote, you had a week to do so. And if you
did vote, thank you, whatever side of the issue you were on.
To
watch Campbell Live GO
HERE
GCSB
bill about to become law
Tensions
are high in New Zealand over a new bill that would allow the
country’s GCSB agency to conduct warrantless NSA-style spying on
citizens. Prime Minister John Key, who was grilled on the bill at a
presser, cut the meeting short and left early
TV3,
21
Augustt, 2013
The
GCSB bill is about to be passed into law.
It's
arguably the most contentious legislation the Government has
introduced since it came to power, and it will put it through its
third reading on Wednesday with a one-vote majority.
Opposition
parties have fought it all the way through while outside Parliament
there have been protest marches and angry public meetings.
The
bill gives the Government Security Communications Service authority
to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of the police and the Security
Intelligence Service.
It
had been doing that for decades until last year, when a clause was
discovered in its legislation which forbids it to spy on citizens or
residents.
There
is still a debate going on around whether that applied only to its
foreign surveillance activities, but the Government decided to clear
it up by bringing in a bill that specifically authorises it to help
the other agencies.
Opponents
say it significantly increases the GCSB's powers but the Government
denies that.
Prime
Minister John Key insists there is no change to the surveillance the
GCSB carried out during nine years of the previous Labour
Government's rule when it thought it was operating within the law.
Labour
and the Greens delayed the bill's committee stage for nearly six days
of Parliament's sitting time by go-slow tactics and putting up dozens
of amendments, all of them defeated.
It
completed its committee stage on Tuesday night.
Mr
Key will launch the third reading debate on Wednesday afternoon
From Radio NZ
From Radio NZ
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.