Syringe Festival Posters Targetted by Police

In another blatant attack on freedom of speech in the Northern Territory, Police have arrested 2 drug law reform campaigners and charged them with 2 counts each of billpasting. The campaigners are alleged to have affixed posters advertising the 2nd Darwin International Syringe Festival which will be held in Darwin from the 21st to the 28th of September.

Michael Barry and Gary Meyerhoff, both members of the Darwin based Network Against Prohibition were stopped by police in suburban Parap at 1am. Despite reports on the police radio of a baseball bat wielding bandit around the corner, the pair were placed in the back of the dibbie van and conveyed to Berrimah watchhouse.

After spending an hour in the cells, the pair were released with the condition of bail being that they are not allowed to leave their place of residence between the hours of 10pm and 6am. Michal and Gary will apply to vary this ridiculous bail condition later this week.

These arrests, and the draconian bail conditions are nothing new to members of the Network Against Prohibition. Members of NAP, which was established in early 2002 as a response to the Labor Government's drug house laws have been subjected to ongoing police harassment. Tonight's charges bring Gary's total to 27, and Micky's to 15 charges since the inception of NAP.

Ridiculous bail conditions aren't new to NAP members either. Late last year, the same watch commander, Sergeant Chris Lyndon, refused bail to Gary and another NAP member and forced them to spend 2 nights in custody. Sergeant Lyndon has also accused Gary Meyerhoff of rugby tackling him at a NAP rally last year. Lyndon will appear as a witness in the hearing of that matter on the 15th of September.

NAP activist Gary Meyerhoff said "we were targetted simply because of the nature of the posters. The police find the syringe festival offensive and at the same time are doing everything they can to put NAP members behind bars."

Meyerhoff already faces 5 months jail for his part in the peaceful entry into the NT Legislative Assembly last year. This matter will is on appeal and will be heard in the supreme court in November.

Meyerhoff said "the syringe festival will go ahead despite police harassment. Already people are travelling from interstate and overseas and this years syringe festival is set to be a huge blast for everyone involved. "

The Syringe Festival is a series of events and activities aimed at pushing the NT government and other government's to seriously consider drug law reform. It aims to bring users together to discuss the war on drugs as well as forcing the community to abandon their head in the sand approach to illicit drugs.

For further info call the Syringe Festival office on (08) 8942 0570, Gary on 0415 16 2525, Nicolette on 0418 985 701 or checkout the NAP website.

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Media releases are being added by the day!

Hi everyone, we are working to upload all of NAP's media releases onto this page of our site. As we are huge media sluts, and we write heaps of press releases, this will take some time so bear with us. Eventually, this page will be a handy resource for drug user activists.

NAP Mob

Another Victory for Free Speech in the Northern Territory

For immediate release The 8th of August 2003 will be remembered as a day that the Darwin Magistrate’s Court defended our right to freedom of speech in the Northern Territory, well not really.

Nicolette Burrows and Ema Corro were found NOT guilty of trespassing and criminal damage after a hearing that has dragged on since late 2002. Last year the pair climbed aloft the roof of a building at the end of the Stuart Highway in Darwin and painted the words “drug premises” on the 10m by 8m billboard atop the building.

Caught in the act by police, they were escorted from the building with the assistance of the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service. They were later charged with trespassing and criminal damage.

The painting was timed to coincide with the enactment of the Territories new “drug house” laws. These laws commenced on the 1st of August 2002 and allow police to signpost a house as a “drug premises” and raid it without a warrant, whenever they please.

After hours of monotonous statements from police witnesses and a member of the business community, the swift and decisive action of the Burrows/Corro legal team, brought the ordeal to an end. They did have on their side the usually inept prosecution who failed to bring a key witness to court; the owner of the building.

So, with no evidence that they didn’t have permission to be there, and that they didn’t have permission to paint the sign, it was “no case to answer” on the criminal damage and NOT guilty for the trespassing.

NAP activist Nicolette Burrows said “Just another example of why you should never plead guilty in our corrupt, inhumane and unjust legal system. Its like lotto, and with an inept prosecution, the odds are in your favour.”

NAP activists and other civil liberties activists in the NT are still facing imprisonment for a peaceful entry into the NT Legislative Assembly last year. The matter is on appeal.

Other court cases are still pending, including a case of “business invasion” for a peaceful sit-in at the electorate office of the NT Chief Minister. This matter has been set down for trial by Judge and jury early next year.

For more info about the campaign for drug law reform in the NT see www.napnt.org

And don’t miss the 2nd Darwin International Syringe Festival in September!