Peace activists against the weapons conference

On the 17th of November, 150 people gathered outside Wellington's TSB arena to blockade the international weapons industry conference. The November protest, organised by Peace Action Wellington, led to 27 arbitrary arrests by police.

UPDATE: JULY 2016

There are now 16 people who are still fighting charges in this case. People are charged with either trespass or obstruction - both are minor charges. But the police are responding in a very heavy-handed way, indicating that they plan to bring 30 witnesses in a trial lasting two weeks! A trial date has yet to be set but it will definitely be next year - 2017 - meaning that for some people the whole process will have lasted about 18 months.

We all know that the weapons industry profits from the supply of arms to aid warfare, terrorism, colonisation and illegal military occupations worldwide. WE therefore do not consider this annual conference to be in the public interest, nor a legitimate use of public funds and facilities.

New Zealand is nuclear-free. Lockheed Martin, the conference's major sponsor and world's biggest arms manufacturer, produces nuclear arms. Moreover, Wellington is an official city of peace - our mayor is an executive leader for the international group Mayors for Peace.

We are raising funds to help to defray legal expenses, travel costs and support for arrestees who need it over the trial days.

Thank you for helping us fight the good fight!