Since last month's police raids on Maori, greens, and peace activists, there's been a disturbing trend among Labour people of beating up on the left in an effort to insulate themselves against the danger of attacks from the right. But as with the "hang 'em high" brigade and the death penalty, I thought this was a good metaphor, rather than being literally true.
I guess now I know better.
As for the police, I'm appalled that they'd look the other way on an assault, and then arrest those with the temerity to complain about it. But I guess its just an example of the insular and judgemental police culture Ross Meurant wrote about last week (and which the Herald pointed out today still has not changed in the wake of the Bazley inquiry). Labour delagate Len Richards was "one of us", decent folk, and therefore above reproach. Those complaining, OTOH, were "them", long-haired protestors, people who questioned police authority and judgement - clearly menaces to society who needed to be locked up. And I guess we should all be grateful that they didn't just beat or taser them for their insolence, as they would have done in the "good old days" which Greg O'Connor of the Police Association so clearly longs for.
The national Party have spent the last few years complaining about "political policing", on entirely spurious grounds. I suggest they look at the real problem: that the police regard the law as a weapon, to be used against those they designate as "the enemy", and that they clearly regard some people as being unworthy of their protection (while being overzealous in the protection of others). But if the police are not going to uphold the law and apply it impartially to all, they are little better than a well-dressed gang, and deserve to be regarded as such.
