Election candidates facing court

Three candidates in the Northern Territory election will appear in the Darwin Magistrate’s court at 10am this morning.

Network Against Prohibition candidates Stuart Highway (Nightcliff), Robert Inder-Smith (Millner) and Gary Meyerhoff (Johnston) will be joined by NAP members Nicolette Burrows, Ema Corro and Michael Barry to face serious criminal charges, including unlawfully damaging property and “business invasion”.

The charges relate to the peaceful occupation of Chief Minister Clare Martin's electorate office on August 1, 2002, and the 6th community smoke-in (October 2002).

During the smoke-in, police sparked a near-riot when they tried to forcibly remove the “community hookah”, which organisers had set up on a table in the middle of Raintree Park.

NAP members have been subject to an ongoing campaign of harassment from the NT Government and the police since the activist group’s campaign against the “drug house” laws began in March, 2002.

NAP, who are running five candidates in tomorrow week’s poll, are calling on Territorians to vote against drug prohibition and zero-tolerance policing.

They’re also calling for:

• An immediate pardon for all NAP members and others who have been found guilty of charges relating to NAP activities; and

• All current charges faced by NAP members to be withdrawn immediately by the NT Police and the Department of Public Prosecutions.

For more information call 0415 16 2525 or see: http://www.napnt.org/election2005.html