by Laila Harre
National Secretary ot the National Distribution Union

Word of raids and arrests following the discovery of a “terrorist plot” began to filter through on the first morning of the CTU’s bi-ennial conference last month. From that first shocking day events have unwound like a crime novel being read back to front – the “plot”, rather than thickening, has thinned – at least in relation to Police claims that after 18 months of surveillance they had been forced to act that day because of an imminent threat to public safety.
The trade unionists gathered unanimously condemned the raids in the name of “Terrorist Suppression” in our final conference resolution. While most politicians warn us to “reserve judgment until a Court has dealt with the full facts” we were not prepared to be so patient.
The most worrying rumor so far is that guns have been found at urban addresses raided.
Unionists would be the first to support strong enforcement of gun laws. But if everyone was under the kind of surveillance that this group has been for the last 18 months then it’s likely that thousands of illegal firearms would be discovered and hundreds of these tied to people who have indulged in staunch or threatening talk in the (assumed) privacy of their cars, bars and homes. And activist Tame Iti’s claim of Tuhoe sovereignty over their lands and a right to use force to defend them is neither new nor secret. It is certainly not the definition of “terrorism” that was used to justify giving millions more dollars to the police and SIS and to reduce civil liberties to respond to the “changed world” after 9/11.
Unionists who opposed anti-terrorism legislation did so because we feared their use against local activists – activists who could already be watched and prosecuted for the things they did if they crossed the line but not for the things they thought - their political beliefs. That’s why unions didn’t wait for charges to be laid before we opposed these raids. Anyone with a connection to any of those arrested has to assume that that their private communications have also been eavesdropped on. Such surveillance acts as a tool to suppress dissent.
To be constantly watched is itself a loss of liberty. The message is that if we want to stay free we must avoid becoming “persons of interest” and think carefully about the company we keep, the meetings we attend and the views we express.   
Trade unions are political organisations with a tradition of political dissent. Whatever their purpose, these raids produce a climate of fear of dissent. A public fear of a plot against our way of life. Fear among other activists that they too are being continuously watched. Fear among Tuhoe families of further terrifying intrusions into their way of life. Meanwhile those arrested, whether convicted or acquitted, now carry a terrorist label which like Ahmed Zaoui’s will restrict their freedom forever.