Militant Labour Forum: OPERATION 8 Screening

'Operation 8'exposes police frame-up

The trial opens here on February 13 of the Urewera four - Maori rights advocates facing a government frame-up. They are Tame Iti, a leader of the Tuhoe iwi, Emily Bailey, Rangi Kemara, and Urs Singer.

The prosecution results from police Opera-tion 8 in October 2007, when cops stormed homes in a number of cities and laid siege to Ruatoki in the Ureweras.

Following these "anti-terrorism" raids, 18 people were prosecuted under firearms charges. The Urewera Four were also charged with "participating in an organised criminal group". Last year the Supreme Court ruled that charges should be dropped against the other defendants. The frame-up against the Urewera Four, however, was deepened with allegations of plans to "commit murder, ar-son, and other crimes."

Operation 8, Deep in the Forest, released in 2011, documents the 2007 raids. It features coverage of protests against the frame-up and interviews with many of the accused.
 
7pm, Friday, February 10
4/125 Grafton Rd, Auckland
Suggested donation $5 waged, $2 unwaged. By the corner of Grafton Bridge/Grafton Rd.
Militant Labour Forums are held each week. Phone 369-1223 or email milauck@xtra.co.nz