It is ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand. it used to be a day to commemorate the fallen soldiers in two world wars, but is becoming, more and more, an opportunity to glorify war, including the 'war on Terror'
A
side of fear mongering terrorism with your slice of ANZAC Day
patriotism?
By
Martyn Bradbury
20
April, 2015
It
seems some media have taken to scaring the bejesus out of NZers this
ANZAC Day. Suddenly Terrorism is being served with our slice of ANZAC
Day patriotism this year. It helps to not question why we threw so
many into the mincer of war and why we are getting into another
pointless re-invasion of Iraq on the side of dictators and
butchers if we are all spooked that ISIS inspired fellow NZers will
launch an attack while we are waving our flag around on War Cult Day.
IF
there is a terror attack on NZ by ISIS inspired violence it will be
because Key has set us up as a target for the 5 Eyes Club by
reinvading Iraq.
IF
there is a terror attack on NZ by ISIS inspired violence it will be
because the media have helped generate the sense of isolation and
alienation that generates this kind of radicalism.
IF
there is a terror attack on NZ by ISIS inspired violence it will be
because the Prime Minister has personally helped that alienation and
isolation along by publicly naming numbers of suspects so that the
could get his controversial mass surveillance laws passed.
IF
there is a terror attack on NZ by ISIS inspired violence it will be
because we have done bugger all helping those on the fringes of NZ
mainstream culture feel welcome and heard and counted for in our
country. Inequality and social isolation converts more to radicalism
than ISIS can. If we have youth in NZ who are being radicalised by
ISIS, that’s society’s fault for not being inclusive enough,
blaming ISIS is a joke.
We
should refuse to allow fear and hate to direct our decisions. We are
a free liberal democracy, that is our strength, not more police
powers and security crackdowns.
So
this ANZAC Day we are fighting to spy for torturers and hiding the
manner in which NZ soldiers die?
Martyn
Bradbury
18
April, 2014
While
we stand at attention and bow our head solemnly to do our pious bit
for ANZAC Day, what exactly are we fighting for this year?
Apart
from siding with butchers and dictators who have helped
create the new generation of Muslim fanaticism, it appears we are
fighting to spy
for torturers and the ability
to hide how NZ soldiers die in battle.
Our
need to worship the dead for some sense of identity has blinded us to
the mistakes that drive war and that’s why we are silent on the
outrageous hypocrisy of entering a new war to suck up to America.
Meanwhile, across the Tasman the Australians have had another "terror plot" with police raid
Anzac Day terror plot foiled by Melbourne anti-terrorism raids
18
April, 2014
Australian
police have charged an 18-year-old man with conspiring to plan a
terrorist attack following multiple raids across Melbourne on
Saturday morning.
The
man was one of two men arrested in counter-terrorism raids who
police say were planning an Islamic State-inspired attack at a
Melbourne Anzac Day event.
Australian
Federal Police and Victoria Police executed seven search warrants on
properties in Narre Warren, Hampton Park, Hallam and Eumemmerring
from 4am on Saturday (6am NZT). Five men were arrested in the
raids, the culmination of Operation Rising.
Police
were keeping guard at the Melbourne house on Saturday.
Two
18-year-olds were arrested on terrorism-related offences.
Both
men were "associates" but not relatives of Numan Haider,
who was shot and killed by police in September 2014 after stabbing
anti-terrorism officers at Endeavour Hills, Victoria Police acting
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said.
The
planned attack could have come "any time in the next week,"
Patton said.
Police
have refused to disclose what Anzac celebration had been targeted.
"We
have acted swiftly to disrupt an attack intended to bring harm to
everyday Victorians going about their business," Patton said.
"During
Anzac Day commemorations, we encourage people to continue with their
plan, but remain vigilant.
"The
plan related to activities that were in the Melbourne area and we are
not going to go into specifics at this stage."
Police
said the men's plans were "ISIS inspired" but there was no
specific suspicion that they planned to carry out beheadings. ISIS
is also known as IS and ISIL.
"At
this stage we have no information there was a planned beheading," AFP
acting Deputy Commissoner Neil Gaughan said.
"Some
evidence that we've collected at a couple of the scenes - and some
other information we have - leads us to believe that this particular
matter was ISIS-inspired. But it's early days and we're not going
into further details than that."
Police
declined to comment on whether it was "retaliation" for the
shooting death of Haider last year.
Gaughan
said police were comfortable the threat was "fully contained".
"But
obviously as the investigations continue we'll continue chase the
rabbit down the hole and see what comes of it," he said.
The
weapons confiscated were all edged weapons, not firearтms.
"There
was a knife and there was a sword. There was suggestion of firearms
but we have not seized any," acting Victoria Police Commissioner
Tim Cartwright said.
Police
arrested five men in the raids, two of whom sustained minor injuries
during the arrests. Another 18-year-old man, from Narre Warren, was
arrested over weapons offences. Two other men, aged 18 and 19,
both from Narre Warren, were also arrested and are in custody
assisting police.
The
five suspects were all "associates" of Haider, police
said. The men had also frequented the al Furqan bookshop and
Islamic centre in Springvale South, which was also linked to Haider.
Police
continued to search several properties in the area.
Four
AFP officers are currently standing guard at a small tile-roofed
house on a quiet suburban street in Hallam.
Police
teams have removed evidence including a computer from the house.
Boxes were labelled 'Operation Rising promise'.
The
house is nondescript except for the front window which has had a hole
smashed in it. It's not clear whether the damage was caused
during this morning's raids. All the blinds on the property have
been pulled shut.
Four
cars, including a silver BMW, are currently parked in the house's
driveway.
An
eyewitness to the Hallam raid, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
said she woke about 3.30am to the noise of an argument between
two men. Police arrived soon after and made an arrest.
"They
are pretty decent people," she said. "We have met them a
couple of times. They have had a couple of fights and stuff."
Another
neighbour said a family of six lived in the house. She said the
mother and father were lovely and had taken good care of her.
Their
four boys, however, had "had the usual trouble with motorbikes
and cars that young boys get into", the woman said.
Gaughan said
the entire community should be concerned about the young age of the
suspects.
"This
is an issue not just for law enforcement but the broader community,"
he said.
"We
need to get better in relation to identifying young men and women
that are involved in this type of behaviour at the very early stages
and we need intervention strategies to ensure that they don't go down
this pat
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