Campaign Proposal
For the past six years, the anti-war movement has not focused specifically on New Zealand troop involvement. The New Zealand military is often deployed under the rubric of ‘peacekeeping’ missions and ‘humanitarian relief,’ despite actively facilitating military operations in these countries. As a result, there has been a tendency to overlook the actions of the New Zealand military and a latent assumption of the benign nature of its operations. The anti-war movement’s approach, till this point, has largely been limited to calls for government condemnation of US wars through the use of ad-hoc tactics.
We propose to rectify this situation through a concerted campaign, coordinating with various groups and individuals from around the country.
Goals
1. No New Zealand troop deployments
2. No participation in joint training or military exercises with any other military, including the United Nations
3. No support for foreign military, including the ‘war on terror’.
Outline
This campaign involves two components: education and action. In the first instance, the purpose is to challenge the humanitarian image of the New Zealand military and explore the interests served by its actions. We want to expose the reality of New Zealand’s military activities overseas. In the second instance, we will employ tactics including direct action to undermine the operations of the New Zealand military.
The focus of the campaign, in particular, will be on New Zealand’s current military involvement in Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
Education and public outreach
We want to have consistent, clear campaign messages through the use of various media, including website, factsheets, posters, leaflets, teach-ins, stalls, street theatre and outreach in educational establishments. This will include directly countering propaganda put out by the military and regurgitated by the mainstream media.
Action
In an effort to “bring the war home,” we want to encourage mass direct action against the New Zealand military, employing tactics that will directly stop its operation and support services, such as blockading, occupying, and sabotage. Targets for action could include military bases, transport of military equipment, recruitment efforts, display events, defence HQ, high ranking military and political officials (both NZ and from overseas), and national days of military celebration/commemoration.
Campaign Requirements
Involvement of other groups and individuals from around the country
Encourage formation of new groups through education and networking
Channel of communication for groups involved (e.g email list, wiki, forum)
Creation and distribution of educational material (including research,
design and production)
Planning joint actions
Funding
Transport
Legal support
10 comments
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April 3, 2007 at 9:40 am
DFH
While I agree with several points you have made regarding NZ’s “peacekeeping” missions overseas, I would like to add a word of caution re the tactics you may intend to use to highlight these issues to the NZ public.
While I believe many in NZ will sympathise and concur with your views that NZ is no longer merely involved in the more humanitarian side of peacekeeping missions, – in order to have this message taken up by Joe Public you will need to be very careful not to alienate your cause before you leave the starting blocks.
I know you believe that commemoration days like Anzac Day exist simply to glorify war but if you are out there at the Dawn parades and seen to be railing against octagenarian returned servicemen – you are going to look like heartless bullies, and public sympathy and hence, public support, will not be on your side.
A silent protest or vigil at those times would be far more effective. The old soldiers still alive in NZ are much revered, – the times, their fears, their motivations, the allegiances were completely different to the present day.
It would be far better to be seen to be attacking and exposing the system rather than the individual,- which is what would be percieved by direct action and protest on Anzac Day.
April 6, 2007 at 2:41 am
Maia
You lost me at ‘campaign’.
Campaigns are military operations, centrally run, with very clear goals. As the military is a hierarchical organisation the leaders can decide on the goal and the tactics and then tell people what to do.
I don’t think this works as a metaphor for how groups like PAW should work. Worse than that, I think all too often people who talk about ‘campaigns’ often end up working in that way. Campaigns of the left, whether by unions or activist groups, tend to be top-down and goal focused. That doesn’t leave much room for real organising, or real democracy (I want to get people to be part of something so they can decide how it’s going to go – not get people on board with something that has already been decided).
April 18, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Scott
As I said above this looks great. I’ll be letting people I know in Auckland about it, in case it sparks something up here.
April 25, 2007 at 12:58 am
Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » I really want to know
[...] Anarchafairy and Span have both written about how left-wing people should respond to ANZAC day. I’m going to write more about that tomorrow. But Span’s comment thread puzzled me, and I wanted to respond to the predominant feeling there first.1 As Stef said: I think that ANZAC day is about honouring the soldiers, not the politics of the day. [...]
April 25, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Djoko Suyanto
Thank you for assisting our reconquest of Timor. May the Javanese empire prosper.
April 25, 2007 at 6:40 pm
GNZ
I suggest the NZ military should have ONE purpose – that is the ability to repel anyone who tried to occupy us (blow things up, destroy invading ships etc).
nothing else. (And even then the current risk level is pretty low)
No billions spent on frigates, no dubious peacekeeping. No wasted time training to do things we dont want our army to get involved in and no secret getting involved due to pressue from other governments (we can just note we dont have the capability).
April 25, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Muppett
All I can say is that if you want the public on your side, dont piss them off. If anything is to be done, you want the public to support you. Dont ever give them the opportunity to think less of you – if you do, you will never further your cause, and will only further the cause of people who see you as stupid, young, dumb activists.
April 25, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Grant ( a new one)
“if you do, you will never further your cause, and will only further the cause of people who see you as stupid, young, dumb activists.”…..which you are
April 25, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Pacific Empire » Blog Archive » ANZAC anarchists: short-sighted, ignorant
[...] a campaign known as NZTroopsOutNow, run by Peace Action Wellington. Here are some quotes from his blog post of April 1 (I wish it was a joke) explaining his plans: For the past six years, the anti-war movement has not [...]
April 26, 2007 at 2:31 am
Scott
‘All I can say is that if you want the public on your side, dont piss them off.’
Following this argument, we’d never have left-wing campaigns about any issue. every progresisve campaign is unpopular at first. Some are unpopular for a long time (as I suspect this one will be). Woman’s suffrage was hugely unpopular for decades. Opposition to the Vietnam War was unpopular for years.
Opposition to the War of Terror was wildly unpopular with many people in the months after 9/11, as those of us in the movement against the invasion of Afghanistan found out. Muppet’s argument prioritises the feelings of the Kiwi public over the need to tell the truth about what is happening in Afghanistan, East Timor, and the Solomons. If someone gets more upset by a banner at Anzac day than the murder of Timorese civilians by Anzac troops, then that says something about them.