Demonstration at Nat. Party office

Press, 13 October 1983, Page 9

Demonstration at Nat. Party office

One of the busiest sections of a central Christchurch street was sealed off to traffic for about 10 minutes yesterday after the police were called to the National Party office in Lichfield Street about 2 p.m.

A party official called the police after a group of about 30 young unemployed people came on to the premises and began using a loud-hailer from windows overlooking Lichfield Street and placing posters in the windows.

The police were quickly on the scene and sealed off Lichfield Street between Colombo Street and Manchester Street. The office was last the scene of a demonstration, by anti-apartheid protesters, in 1981 when the police arrested several people who refused to leave the premises. However, yesterday the protesters, calling themselves the Unemployed Action Group, left when asked to do so by the secretary of

the Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party, Mr G. J. Johnstone, in the presence of the police.

A group spokesman, Mr Grant Klinkum, said afterwards that the group had not wanted to be arrested because many could not afford to pay bail or fines. He said the group had taken the action out of frustration at not having ways of expressing their concern about unemployment. Many were under 18 and therefore were unable to vote in elections. Mr Klinkum said that he had asked Mr Johnstone to send a list of requests to the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon. The group had been prepared to pay for the list to be telegraphed or telexed to Wellington, he said.

Mr Johnstone told “The Press” that he had refused to discuss the demands while the group was on the premises, but had told the leaders that he was prepared to discuss them if they came back alone today.

The group wants a Cabinet Minister to be given special responsibility for the unemployed; abolition of tax on unemployment benefits; benefit entitlement for 15 year olds and married women seeking work; the abolition of the stand-down period; and an increase in the benefit. Mr Klinkum said that yesterday’s action was a lead-up to a national week of action next month, which would include street theatre and stalls.