Drug law protesters arrested

DARWIN – A small group of protesters gathered outside the Northern Territory Department of Justice on March 22 to voice their opposition to the Labor government’s proposed “drug house” legislation.

The proposed legislation if implemented, will give police increased powers to search and apprehend people in their homes or in nightclubs.

The protest was called by the recently formed Network Against Prohibition (NAP). The protesters aimed at occupying the building to demand a meeting with justice minister Peter Toyne, but they were blocked from entering by a heavy police presence.

“NAP will employ direct action tactics to keep the pressure on the NT Labor government,” NAP spokesperson Gary Meyerhoff told Green Left Weekly. “Prohibition has failed all over the world and Labor should be dismantling this system rather than reinforcing it.

“NAP members are also extremely alarmed that Police Commissioner Paul White has targeted cannabis and has promised to target people at the bottom level of the trade.”

Forty minutes after the protest began, police ordered the protesters to leave. When the order was ignored, police arrested five protesters and charged them with refusal to obey a police order.

Newshawk: Fiona Clarke
Pubdate: 10th April 2002
Source: Green Left Weekly
Author: Gary Meyerhoff
Website: http://www.greenleft.org.au
Email: glw@greenleft.org.au