Protesters’ hakas put court in uproar

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 2

Protesters’ hakas put court in uproar

PA Auckland Warrants for the arrest of 24 persons were issued, by Mr D. I. N. Maclean, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland yesterday, after they failed to appear on charges of trespassing on Crown land at Bastion Point. Hundreds of demonstrators — they called themselves Bastion Point defenders — flooded into the Court when the doors opened at 9.30 a.m.. and turned the hearings into a legal farce. The packed courtroom was a scene of unprecedented uproar when the Magistrate took his seat on the Bench. Spectators burst into an impassioned haka which had several policemen in the court open-mouthed. The Magistrate looked on stonily as the haka continued for five minutes. The din was stopped when a protester raised his hand and said: "Kia tau te rangi marie.” (Let peace prevail). The protesters fell silent and the Court clerk stood to read the first name on the charge sheet — Jack Rameka. Her pronunciation of the name brought cries of derision and a call: "Get us a Maori interpreter.” A plainclothes Maori I policeman then walked up to the clerk’s desk and read the name again. This time it was met with murmurs of approval from the demonstrators.

The Magistrate, however, gathered his papers and without a word walked out of the courtroom. His departure was greeted with a chant, “Drop the I charges.” The Court was adjourned! for 15 minutes and from the ! Magistrate’s door in the courtroom, six helmeted policemen arrived. They were greeted with shouts of: “Bring the ’Judge’ back, bring the ‘Judge’ back.” Five minutes later a police officer told the crowd that the cases were now being held in courtroom No. 6. In room 6, which was empty, the public was barred from entry. Only court staff, the police and .tews media representatives were allowed in. Even then the scene was anything but peaceful. A taxi-driver. Jack Mike Rameka, aged 44, of Orakei, admitted a charge of wilful trespass, but details of the case were almost drowned by protesters battering on the door, and chanting outride. Rameka, who appeared fori himself, addressed the Court! but much of his argument I was lost in the din from those barred from entry. The Magistrate said it was not! for him to say whether Ra-| meka was right or wrong,! but to see if the law had been broken. Rameka was convicted: and discharged. The next defendant was Frank Swift Dromgoole, aged 68. retired, of Orakei. His counsel (Mr G. W. Wells) told the Court that he was ill. His case was adjourned for two weeks. When Samuel Donald Coromandel, aged 19. appeared on another wilful trespass charge, he told the ! Court that he did not recog-: nise the charge. The Magistrate said he would treat' this as a plea of not guilty! and adjourned the case to August 8. As more names were! called outside in the packed! corridor, a policeman re- j turned to tell the Magistrate that there was no appearance on the part of at least' 10 defendants. Then, just after 10.45 a.m. and as the roar from outside' the Court continued, the} Magistrate left the court and; reappeared in courtroom No. ■ 5. If

The scene that greeted the Magistrate on arrival was of Maori and pakeha protesters jamming the court. All standing room was taken, and the small press bench. Women were holding' babies, and placards lined. the wall. All police attempts to clear people away from i the Bench were met with chants of “Bastion Point) Maori land” and “Give us > back our land.”

d Here, the Magistrate was met by further Maori hakas, if'and attempts to call the y j names of the defendants ~ jwere greeted with chants of it "Drop the charges, drop the r | charges.” n The name of the next n defendant was called out but , no-one appeared, and the .- Court issued a warrant for - arrest. - But the duty solicitor (Mr t R. H. Patterson) objected, t i saying: “I think it is unsafe s| to do that until we have i established the defendant is ;j not in the Court, or is here . but unable to get into the ;! room.” His remarks were followed i by protesters chanting: “He’s I' here, he’s here.” . j “Well, what do you sug- ; gest?” asked the Magistrate. Mr Patterson did not appear ■ to offer any alternative. ;' A Bastion Point action ■■committee member, Dianne Prince, was dragged from court after shouting at the,. Magistrate: “We are not in ' contempt of court — you' i are, by changing the Court \ . hearing to another court-1 room.” As two policemen re-j moved her, fellow demon- i strators cried: “Shame,: shame.” Another protester j then yelled: “These courts I ; have stolen Maori land and legalised it.” He, too, was! removed. As both were taken away, demonstrators burst into another loud haka. The Magistrate then leaned over to

whisper to a court .official ’ and he left the courtroom again. After he had gone, policeci men started to remove all J the protesters from the I Court. Some sat on the floor : | when the police tried to .(them and were carried out, ! but most went without resistance. After the Court was cleared at 11.20 a.m. the room was a shambles. Empty soft-drink bottles, cigarette packets, cigarette ■ ends, and tom-up sum- ’ monses littered the floor. ! The demonstrators also left their marks in other t ways — spray-painted on the back wall of the court- . room were the words: “Bastion Point.” . The demonstrators then jammed the stairway in the building and began another series of chantings: “Bastion Point Maori land.” They then broke into more hakas, but after about three minutes singing and chanting they began filing out of the building. Throughout the hearings, ; two top-ranking police ' officers, both in plainclothes, ! were in court. They were I the Deputy Assistant Com-, i missioner (Mr E. J. Trappitt) ! and the Central Division Commander (Chief Superintendent K. Sykes). From the courtroom, the protesters walked to the Maori Affairs Department offices in Fort Street where they massed across the street blocking all traffic. After performing a haka the group was told by Mr: Willie Wilson (Kaingarca Forest): “They (the depart- i ment) are the ones responsible for the loss of Maori! land.” ; From there the demonstrators walked to the Chief! jPost Office where more! I speakers addressed them, j i Later, the protesters went to!<

the Anglican Maori Mission’s centre in Khyber Pass Road where they had a meal, and discussions. After the courtroom was cleared for the last time, the Magistrate dealt with three persons who either denied the charge, or refused to recognise the jurisdiction of the Court. Each case was adjourned to August 9. In all the other cases called there were nonappearances, and warrants for arrest were issued.