Peace group plans noise
A peace group is planning to protest a defence forum coming to Palmerston North, saying the ‘‘weapons expo’’ goes against the area’s "peace city’’ status.
But the New Zealand Defence Industry Association Forum chairman says it is not a weapons expo and labelling it as such is a cry for attention.
The forum will be held in Palmerston North at the end of October, its first time in the city in more than 15 years.
Peace Action Manawatu¯ spokesman Dr Fred Hirst said the group would protest the event as the ‘‘weapons expo’’ was a meeting of 500 global armaments manufacturers and dealers.
‘‘The Weapons Expo is booked into the Central Energy Trust Arena, a [Palmerston North City Council] venue, despite our ‘peace city’ status,’’ he said.
‘‘Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest arms dealer and a maker of nuclear weapons, has been the primary sponsor of this trade fair for many years.
‘‘These are the companies that profit from militarisation and war, which led to human suffering, death and destruction of our planet.
‘‘We are not prepared to sit idly by when this obscene showcasing of weapons comes to our community.’’
The forum’s chairman, Andrew Ford, said the conference was held as a networking event for New Zealand industry and supported government agencies involved in defence and national security.
He dismissed claims it was a weapons expo and said labelling the event this was a ‘‘convenient and emotive rallying cry for protesters to garner media attention’’.
The forum was originally
held in Palmerston North 20 years ago, before being moved to Wellington and Auckland.
Ford said organisers always intended to move the forum to the hub of defence activity in Palmerston North.
‘‘This recognises the Manawatu¯ is a major hub of defence and national security activity with RNZAF Base O¯ hakea and NZ Army Base Linton in the region, as well as [the] Massey University centre for defence and security studies.’’
The forum is designed to support the Government’s intentions about equipping agencies, he said.
‘‘For example, [it will focus on] agencies fighting overfishing and piracy, agencies protecting Antarctica and agencies fighting to protect New Zealand from biosecurity risks.’’
Ford said the forum respected New Zealanders’ right to exercise freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest.
However, he said, the targeting of forum delegates with verbal abuse, threats and physical confrontation oversteps the mark of peaceful protest.
‘‘Preventing delegates from entering and attending a conference denies those delegates the same freedoms and rights the protesters claim to protect.’’
Police and private security would attend the event to keep delegates safe, Ford said.
‘‘While action groups continue to misinform others about the purpose of the forum
. . . [the New Zealand Defence Industry Association] will continue to work on keeping everyone safe and ensuring the people of Palmerston North are not hampered in their daily lives as a result of far-from-peaceful action groups.’’