Fun and games in the Territory

Since its first smoke-in for human rights was conducted on the 20th of April this year, Darwin's Network Against Prohibition has been openly challenging the Northern Territory's Marijuana laws. Although the Northern Territory police disrupted their first smoke-in, and two arrests were made, NAP members were left alone when they challenged the law in June, July, August and September by conducting public smoke-ins in Rain tree Park in central Darwin.

On Saturday the 13th of October, things changed. Two undercover police officers who had sampled the community hookah called in four uniformed police to seize the device as it couldn't be ruled out that marijuana hadn't been added to the donated herbal mixture. When participants at the NAP B.B.Q, smoke-in and music festival resisted attempts to have the community hookah confiscated, police reinforcements were called in to seize the implement. By this time, NAP members, egged on by a few hundred spectators, became involved in scuffles with the police as they attempted to drag away the hookah. In the ensuing melee, five protestors were arrested and jailed until they signed bail conditions which prevent them from associating with each other till after their trials.

Two females aged 23 and 24, and three males aged 27, 39, and 41, have been charged with a variety of offences including criminal damage, hindering police, disorderly conduct, assaulting police and interfering with a motor vehicle. On the 17th of October, four days after the arrests, Mick Lambe and Gary Meyerhoff, two organisers of the first smoke-in, on the 20th of April, had charges brought against them for their involvement in the April smoke-in dismissed in the Magistrate Court by Magistrate Daynor Trigg. However, another NAP member, Nicolette Burrows, was found guilty of contempt of court for expressing her elation at their acquittal. She had to cool her heels in the courthouse lock-up for a few hours and had to pay a thirty-dollar fine.

Further information about the Darwin smoke-in for human rights can be obtained by telephoning 0415 162 525. NAP can be e-mailed at napnt (a) yahoo.com. Surf their website at www.napnt.org to keep up with NAP's campaign to have the Northern Territory¹s drug laws repealed. Thanks to our correspondent in the Northern Territory for providing us with the information for this article.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: 30th October 2002
Source: Anarchist Age Weekly Review (Melbourne)
Author: Joseph Toscano