It is open season again for Indonesian trolls targeting Asia Pacific Report and other media with fake news and disinformation dispatches in a crude attempt to gloss over human rights violations.

Just three months ago I wrote about this issue in my “Dear editor” article exposing the disinformation campaign. There was silence for a while but now the fake letters to the editor – and other media outlets — have started again in earnest.

The latest four lengthy letters emailed to APR canvas the following topics — Jakarta’s controversial special autonomy status revised law for Papua, a brutal assault by Indonesian Air Force military policemen on a deaf Papuan man, and a shooting incident allegedly committed by pro-independence rebels – and they appear to have been written from a stock template.

And they all purport to have been written by “Papuan students” or “Papuans”. Are they their real names, and do they even exist?

The latest letter to Asia Pacific Report, dated July 30, was written by a “Paulus Ndiken” who claims:

“I’m a native Papuan currently living in Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. I would like to address your cover story about Indonesia apologises for ‘excessive force’ against deaf Papuan man.

“One day after the incident, the Indonesian Air Force had detained and punished severely 2 members … that had roughly apprehending [sic] Esebius Bapaimu in Merauke, Papua province.”

Dubious reputation
The letter linked to Yumi Toktok Stret, a website with a dubious reputation with accuracy. The report was sketchy and the correct name of the assaulted man, according to reputable news media and Papuan sources, is actually Steven Yadohamang.

“We regret that this kind of rough-housing [sic] happened on the street,” wrote correspondent “Ndiken”, “but we, as Papuans, [are] also glad to know that these perpetrators have received sound punishment …

“Responding to the unfortunate events, the Indonesian netizens had asked for the Indonesian military to immediately take action against the guilty party and were glad that the institution had addressed the people’s concern in a very fast manner.”

A more nuanced and accurate article was written for Asia Pacific Report by Brisbane-based West Papuan academic Yamin Kogoya who compared the “inhumane” assault to the tragic killing of George Floyd in the United States after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as he lay face down in the street on 25 May 2020.

Another letter writer, “Michel Wamebu” … “a native West Papuan living in Merauke”, said on June 29 he would like to bring our attention to West Papua, “which has been painted as if the whole island is in conflict, when actually [there are] only a few small areas [that] were invaded by the Free Papua terrorists that had been exposed to enormous violence.

“I would like to assure the world that there [is] nothing like a full-blown war.”

In the lengthy letter about an incident on June 4 when four civilians were killed in a shooting and two were wounded, “Wamebu” provided alleged details that are likely to have been provided by military sources and at variance with actual news reports at the time.

‘Spike’ over special autonomy
“Yamkon Doleon”, a “student from West Papua and currently studying in Yogyakarta, Indonesia” wrote on July 19 that there had been “a spike in the topic of Papuan special autonomy in social media and also [in] a few international media”.

Launching into a defence of the new Special Autonomy for Papua law for the governance of the two Melanesian provinces of Papua and West Papua for the next two decades – adopted by the House of Representatives in Jakarta last month without consultation with the Papuans, “Doleon” wrote:

“The Special Autonomy itself is a law that guarantees every Papuan to be the leader of their region, to have free education, free health service, and a boost I [the] economy … So which article is not in favour of the people?”

The writer makes no mention of the heavy militarisation of Papua in recent months, the repeated allegations of human rights violations, or the rejection of the Special Autonomy law by the Papuan people.

In a comment about the spate of Indonesian troll messages to some media outlets, West Papua Media Alerts said:

“Indonesian intelligence bots, go away. You are being banned and reported and deleted everytime you post, so go away.”

The engaged media advocacy and news service continued: “It is clear we are telling the truth, otherwise you wouldn’t have to spend so much money trying to counter it with a transparent influence exercise. Go home, invaders.

“Friends, there are literally over a hundred sock accounts using random Anglo names, and the same script response. These accounts all come from the BIN-run FirstMedia in Jakarta, and were all created after March 2.

Report fake accounts
“If you see a comment, please click through on the account name, click the 3 dots and report them as a fake account and going against community standards. We will obviously delete and ban these fake accounts.”

Meanwhile, the London-based Indonesian human rights watchdog Tapol has strongly condemned the two Air Force military policemen who severely beat the disabled man, Steven Yadohamang, in Merauke, Papua, on 27 July 2021.

Video footage which has been widely shared on social media, shows the two personnel beating up a man and crushing his body into the ground and stamping on his head.

The footage of the assault on Steven Yadohamang. Video: Benar News

Tapol said in a statement: “It is clear from the footage that Yadohamang does not possess the capacity to defend himself against two individuals who appear to be unconcerned with possible consequences.”

A similar incident in Nabire took place the following day, said the statement. A West Papuan man, Nicolas Mote, was suddenly smacked on the head repeatedly during his arrest despite not resisting.

“The incident follows a spate of previous violent incidents committed by the security forces against civilians in West Papua province and is likely to raise further questions about what purpose increasing numbers of military personnel are serving in West Papua,” Tapol said.

Although the Air Force had apologised, it had suggested that the two military policemen, Second Sergeant Dimas Harjanto and Second Private Rian Febrianto, alone should bear responsibility for the incident, said the watchdog.

Outrage over Indonesian officers for stomping on disabled Papuan teen’s head – by Yamin Kogoya #CafePacific #HumanRights #HumanRightsViolations #WestPapua @westpapuamedia @FreeWestPapua #justice4papuahttps://t.co/tolA6q0EgS pic.twitter.com/1oJVYp7gSk

— David Robie (@DavidRobie) July 29, 2021

‘Pattern of violence’
“They, and the Indonesian media, have described the soldiers as ‘rogues’. This assessment is not consistent with a pattern of violence committed against civilians that has been allowed to go unpunished in recent months and years,” Tapol said.

“Indeed, had there not been such indisputable visual evidence of security force violence, it is entirely possible that the incident would not now be subject to further investigation by the authorities.

“But despite facing punishment, the perpetrators are likely to only to receive light sentences because they will be tried in military courts.”

Following the end of the New Order period, civilian politicians were not pushing for military personnel to be tried in civilian courts.

Since 2019, there had been a steady build-up of military and police personnel in the two provinces of Papua and West Papua, said Tapol.

“Deployments and security force operations have increased further since April 2021, when the Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security, Mahfud MD, designated the armed resistance movement, TPNPB, as a ‘terrorist’ group.

“West Papuans and Indonesians have raised concerns that the designation would further stigmatise ordinary West Papuans.

“We would also highlight that in West Papua there are significant underlying problems with institutionalised racism by the authorities.”

Tapol called on President Joko Widodo and the House of Representatives of Indonesia to finish the post-Suharto agenda of reforming the military to combat a culture of impunity over human rights violations in West Papua.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has called on the international community to immediately suspend Indonesia from the UN Human Rights Council over a shocking assault on a young deaf indigenous Papuan that has been likened to the George Floyd tragedy in the United States.

The treatment of Steven Yadohamang, 18, who was crushed under the boot of two Indonesian military policemen in Merauke on Tuesday was the latest incident “in a long history of systematic racism and discrimination against my people”, said ULMWP interim president Benny Wenda.

“The reality of everyday life for my people in West Papua is violence and racism at the hands of Indonesian soldiers, police and intelligence officers,” he said in a statement as the assault caught on video sparked angry condemnation by community leaders.

In the middle of a pandemic, Indonesia had continued to launch military operations, displacing more than 50,000 people, Wenda said.

“We have suffered trauma, we have suffered the impunity of the Indonesian colonial regime since the illegal invasion of 1963,” he said.

“There is no difference between what happens to African Americans in the US and what happens to West Papuans at the hands of the illegal Indonesian occupation.”

He said the images of Yadohamang being crushed under the foot of an Indonesian police had been compared to the images of George Floyd before he died at the hands of US police in May 2020.

‘Papuan Lives Matter’
“My people rose up against racist treatment in 2019 [the Papuan Uprising], and followed the global BLM [Black Lives Matter] movement with our own cry: Papuan Lives Matter. What we are suffering is the same as the Rohingya, the same as South Africa under apartheid,” Wenda said.

He said Indonesia’s systematic, institutional racism against West Papuans violated international law.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which Indonesia has ratified, ban racial discrimination.

“Indonesia’s military operations, racial abuse, ethnic cleansing, and systematic destruction of our health and educational opportunities represent clear violations of these conventions,” Wenda said.

“The international community must respond by suspending Indonesia from the UN Human Rights Council immediately. If our international human rights protections mean anything, there must be a global response to what is happening to my people.”

Reuters reports that the Indonesian government had apologised for the actions of the two Air Force military officers it said used “excessive force” to pin down Yadohamang’s head after a video of the incident was widely shared online.

In a statement on Wednesday, presidential chief of staff Moeldoko said his office condemned what it characterised as “a form of excessive force and unlawful conduct”.

The statement also said the Papuan man was unarmed, did not resist and had been identified as a person with a disability.

Indonesian Air Force spokesman Indan Gilang Buldansyah said the two officers would be tried in a military court.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

SPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya

Shocking video footage showing a brutal and inhumane assault on a deaf Papuan teenager named Steven has emerged from the Merauke region of Papua and sparked outrage.

This assault occurred on Monday, July 26, 2021, around Jalan Raya Mandala, Merauke (Jubi, July 27).

The video shows an altercation between the 18-year-old and a food stall owner. Two security men from the Air Force Military Police (Polisi Militer Angkatan Udara, or POMAU) intervened in the argument.

One of the officers grabbed the teenager and pulled him from the food stall. The victim was slammed to the pavement and then stomped on by the Air Force officers.

The two men, Serda Dimas and Prada Vian, trampled on Steven’s head and twisted his arms after knocking him to the ground. The young man was seen screaming in pain, but the two men continued to step on his head and body while the officers casually spoke on the phone.

In response to this assault, the commander of POMAU in Merauke, Colonel Pnb Herdy Arief Budiyanto, apologised for the actions of the two military policemen.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, July 27, Colonel Herd stated that his men had overreacted and acted as vigilantes. The victim (Steven) and his adoptive mother, along with Merauke Police Chief, Untung Sangaji, and Vice-chairman of the regional People’s representative, Marotus Solokah, attended Tuesday’s press briefing (Jubi, July 27).

Military policemen detained
Kadispenau from the Air Force stated that the two men had now been detained under Commander J.A. Merauke’s supervision while POMAU Merauke investigates the incident.

Kadispenau said: “The Air Force army does not hesitate to punish according to the level of the wrongdoings.”

Papuan human rights defender Theo Hesegem said the two Air Force officers’ actions were unprofessional and should immediately be dealt with in accordance with the law applicable in the military judiciary in Papua, not outside Papua.

“They should be dismissed and fired,” Hesegem said.

Natalius Pigai, Indonesia’s former human rights commissioner, slammed the incident as “racist”.

Pigai said on his Twitter account: “Not only members of the security forces, but Indonesia’s high officials who are racist should also be punished.”

“Unless,” Pigai added, “Indonesia’s president Jokowi nurtures the racism committed by his tribe.” (Warta Mataram, July 27).

Suitable place for the ‘lazy’
Recently, Tri Rismaharini, Social Affairs Minister of Jokowi’s government, said that “lazy people” in the state civil service would be moved to Papua. Inferring that Papua was a suitable place for lazy, useless, and low-IQ humans.

The racism issue will not be solved if people like Tri Rismaharini are not punished for their offensive remarks to Papuans.

Pigai remarked as such because of countless denigrating comments and statements from Indonesia’s highest office, in which he himself is often the target of racism.

But still, the country’s justice system fails to deliver justice for Papuan victims and hold the perpetrators accountable.

These incidents are not isolated incidents – they are just the tip of the iceberg of what Papuans have been facing for 60 years under Indonesian rule. Tragic footage like the one in Merauke attracts public attention only because someone captured it and shared it.

Most inhumane treatment in Papua’s remote villages rarely get recorded and shared in this way.

Growing up in a highland village, I witnessed these barbaric behaviours by members of Indonesia’s armed force. They were walking around in uniforms with guns; they did many horrible things to Papuans — just as they wished, without consequence.

Submerged in dirty fishpond
One elder from my village was forced to stay underwater in a dirty fishpond. They military tied a heavy log to his legs so that his body remained underwater all day.

I also remember that my cousin, a young girl aged 13 -14 with whom I went to school, often provided sexual services to a nearby Indonesian military post.

Many soldiers would have their way with her. Not just her, but many young female children face the same fate throughout the villages.

The video of the inhumane treatment of deaf Papuan youth Steven a few days ago in Merauke by Indonesia’s Air Force officers reminded me of many horrible things I had witnessed in the highlands of Papua.

Unfortunately, these crimes hardly get resolved, and perpetrators walk free while victims get punished.

This inhumane treatment brings to mind the tragic killing of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as he lay face down in the street on 25 May 2020.

However, in this case, the four officers involved were dismissed from their jobs and prosecuted. Derek Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years for the killing on June 25, 2021.

Rarely face justice
Tragically, in Papua, the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes rarely face justice and may even get promoted despite their atrocious acts.

Although Jakarta has already apologised for the Merauke atrocity, Jakarta elites are delusional, thinking that empty apologies alone will solve Papua’s protracted conflicts.

If anything, this cheap word “sorry” does more damage and rubs even more salt in the Papuans’ wounds.

Jakarta’s favourite word, “sorry”, has its own value when used appropriately in a specific place and time, like when you accidentally tip over your friend’s coffee cup.

Papuans and Indonesians protracted wars are not fought over spilling a cup of coffee; these wars are fought are over serious gross human rights violations committed by Indonesia’s state-sponsored security forces, supported by Western powers.

Hence, neither Papuans’ wounds nor their dignity can be healed or restored with a cheap apology. Papuans need and demand justice.

Yamin Kogoya is a West Papuan academic who has a Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University and who contributes to Asia Pacific Report. From the Lani tribe in the Papuan Highlands, he is currently living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A leading New Zealand newspaper has branded the knife-edge US presidential election as a “nightmare” scenario in response to fears of civil disorder and a tarnished global image.

“The very face of the American consumerism was forced to mask up,” said The New Zealand Herald today as the nation “hunkered down and waited for the new President to be elected”.

“Crews arrived on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, armed with sheets of plywood to board up each of the 70 boutiques and properties lining the high-end retain strip.”

A similar scene was playing out across the US on anticipation of strife, as former Vice-President Joe Biden held a narrow lead as the final result deopended on six crucial battleground states.

“At the time this edition went to press, it was too close to call with incumbent Donald Trump defying predictions to put in a strong showing,” the newspaper editorial said.

“US retailers hard hit by the covid-19 pandemic have already been hammered by public disorder peaking after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in Minneapolis which fuelled protests, some violent, across the country.

“US businesses have suffered property damage and theft worth an estimated US$1 billion in insured losses this year, according to conservative estimates from the Insurance Information Institute, making this year’s protests “the costliest civil disorder in US history”.

Display guns and ammunition removed
“A week before the election, Walmart removed all guns and amunition from display, fearing that items would be targeted by frustrated supporters of the losing candidate.”

The Herald said the election was largely a referendum on Trump’s “handling of the virus”. However, while Trump had insisted the nation was “rounding the turn”on the virus, Dr Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, had this week joined “a chorus of Trump administration scientists sounding the alarm about the current spike in infections”.

President Trump has overseen the pandemic in the US “reaching world record numbers – 9.42 million cases and still climbing”.

Outgoing US Ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown said that no matter who won the US election, it would have no impact on Washington’s relationship with Wellington.

If you just woke up, here’s a recap of the US #Election2020 results so far ? https://t.co/UOESbTBEZh

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 4, 2020

The Herald reported that Brown had said at the US Embassy’s election day party, his country had an “amazing” democracy.

“It may not be pretty, but it’s definitely vibrant,” Brown said.

Herald political columnist Audrey Young called on reelected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to “take charge” of New Zealand’s relationship following former Foreign Minister Winston Peters who had managed this role in the last term.

On Al Jazeera’s Inside Story programme last night, presenter Imran Khan asked could the US global reputation be repaired?

The tight race for the US presidency was matched by falling global trust in American leadership.

Americans and much of the world were waiting nervously to see whether Biden would be the next US president or Donald Trump extend his stay at the White House.

The US president is often regarded as the most powerful person in the world.

Changes in American foreign policy could benefit or hurt millions of people.

Trump has upended diplomacy in the past four years while Biden has promised to restore some of those ties.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Thousands of people took part in the Black Lives Matter protests in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin today.

Auckland’s Aotea Square protesters, largely peaceful and family oriented, marched to Custom Street and demonstrated outside the American consulate where protesters took a knee and observed a minute of silence for George Floyd.

This was one of two mass gatherings in Auckland today after the 23rd day in a row of New Zealand being covid-19 free.

READ MORE: George Floyd: What we know about the officers charged over his death

The other was at Eden Park which displayed a “sold out” sign after a capacity 48,000 tickets had been sold for the Blues-Hurricanes Super Rugby Aotearoa match this afternoon. This match and one between the Highlanders and Chiefs in Dunedin last night kicked of the world’s first post-covid live crowd rugby matches.

The Black Lives Matter protests around the world started with the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA, on May 25 when white policeman Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Chauvin was videoed by Darnella Fraizer, a 17-year-old high school senior, as Floyd pleaded: “I can’t breathe.”

He has been charged with second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter. Three other policemen have been charged for aiding and abetting and all four officers were sacked from the police.

‘Keep it peaceful’
The Auckland protest march opened with a karakia at Aotea Square and a mihi whakatau from Graham Tipene of Ngāti Whātua, who told the crowd to “keep it peaceful”.

“Our kids are here, so let’s do it right and fight for what’s right,” he said.

Members of the black African communities addressed the crowd on the Black Lives Matter movement, along with social justice campaigner Julia Whaipooti, who talked about the use of armed police in predominantly Māori and Pasifika areas.

“For many of us this is not a new moment in time, not a hashtag on Instagram,” she said.

Emilie Rakete from People Against Prisons Aotearoa and the Arms Down movement spoke about armed police, particularly in South Auckland.

She said the “truth is that we live on a graveyard in Aotearoa”, with NZ police laying down the bodies.

“When the cops say hands up, we say arms down.”

‘They love to profit off our pain’
Auckland-based Somali-NZ rapper Mo Muse performed a piece written in the past two weeks, saying “they love to profit off our pain”.

“Tell Winston Peters he can see me in hell cos we won’t be silenced.”

Auckland University of Technology academic Associate Professor Camille Nakhid, who researched police discrimination against the African community in New Zealand, said racism was the knee on the neck of Māori, Pasifika and other communities of colour in New Zealand.

“Everything is talking and thinking about the murder of George Floyd in the US and the knee that was on his neck. But I want to talk about the knees on our neck, the Black indigenous people of colour in Aotearoa”, said Nr Nakhid, who is also chair of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre.

She said things such as putting students into lower streams in schools, lower standards of health and the uplifting of children were the knees upon the neck of people of colour in this country.

“This protest is because we love who we are. Do not let them turn our love into hate against each other.

“We have to remain awake because we need to get those knees off our neck.”

Wellington, Dunedin rallies
In Wellington, RNZ News reports that thousands of people gathered in Civic Square, to march to Parliament in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The march was organised by a group of community advocates, including Guled Mire.

In Dunedin, hundreds of people gathered at the Otago Museum reserve to show solidarity with the movement. They marched down George Street to the Octagon, where a rally was held.

The Auckland march, which started at Aotea Square, headed down Queen St and ended at the US consulate, where protesters took a knee and observed a minute of silence for George Floyd.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Patricio Zamorano
From Washington DC

It is hard to describe the community energy generated this week from the mass protests throughout the country. June 6 in Washington, DC was like a street festival full of symbols of poignancy, rage, hope, contained aggression, and beauty. This amalgam of feelings stirred by the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis reverberated through the streets of the US capital, just a few feet from a White House hemmed in by heavy steel fencing. At more than 200,000, the crowd was the largest gathering in the country and remained peaceful, with no arrests. The semiotic irony was that a metal barrier was erected to stop the advance of thousands of people, but also it wound up trapping the temporary occupant of the premises: Donald Trump. The President, isolated in his intolerance and militaristic rhetoric, has constructed his own reality of aggression in the face of a national outpouring of empathy and indignation, which the billionaire apparently cannot comprehend.

Unfortunately, Trump has added another dehumanizing chapter to his long rap sheet of political sins. It all started with his years-long obsession with the fake news story that former President Barack Obama was born in Africa. Or perhaps it started even earlier, in the 1970s, when along with his father, Fred Trump, he was charged by the Justice Department with racial discrimination against African-Americans in their New York buildings. More recently, Trump placed his detachment from reality on full display in response to another murder, that of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia. In that case, when the President equated the actions of violent white supremacists with the peaceful protesters against neo-fascism in this quaint Southern town, Trump appeared to take the side of the ultra-right youth who rammed his car into the crowd, extinguishing the life of the young attorney.

Now, after the suffocating nightmare that got us all screaming “I can’t breathe!” when screens around the globe mercilessly showed George Floyd dying before our eyes in eight minutes of agony, Trump once again teeters on the brink of amorality. He expresses ambiguity, which is worse than defending any specific value, no matter how despicable it might be. News leaked out that his closest advisors were trying to persuade him to deliver a presidential address to calm and unite the country by expressing solidarity with George Floyd’s children and widow. But sources report that Trump had nothing to say. There was no soul on him to deliver such emotions. The isolated occupant of the White House was unmoved. Instead, he chose the awkward calculated gesture of walking from the White House across Lafayette Square to St. John’s Church, after ordering troops to use clubs, tear gas, and police brutality (!) to clear the area of demonstrators. All this simply to hold up a Bible for a surreal photo op before the historic church, alongside visibly embarrassed members of his cabinet.

The site has now become the gathering point for thousands of people moved by the video of George Floyd’s suffering. At that very corner, 16th and H, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the street sign changed from “16th Street” to “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” The Mayor also sponsored a huge street graffiti project in which BLACK LIVES MATTER was painted in giant yellow letters on several blocks of asphalt leading up to the White House, which will certainly withstand months of rain and traffic. The cosmic irony is that “White” House also describes the race of most police officers implicated in the deaths, serious injuries, and abuse of thousands of Blacks and other minorities.

Police brutality is no longer the only focus of American demonstrators who risk contracting COVID-19 to express solidarity with George Floyd’s ultimate sacrifice. Donald Trump has managed to make himself another target of criticism and resistance for these hundreds of thousands of Americans who have taken to the streets. He calls them enemies, terrorists, and criminals. But he has no epithets for the white supremacists who have gone out to riot and murder, just like in Charlottesville.

What could be going through Trump’s mind during this time of moral and political isolation for one of the most unpopular presidents of the modern era, while he hides behind huge metal fencing? The heavy curtains of the Oval Office surely cannot block out the thousands of voices resounding off the buildings with cries of “Hands up! Don’t Shoot!” and “Black Lives Matter!”, just a few feet from that solitary building on Pennsylvania Avenue, in the (wounded) heart of Washington, DC…

Photo Essay
From Malcolm X Park to the White House: George Floyd Breathes Again

By Patricio Zamorano

Several pets participated in the protest. Here “Cosmo” the dog. (Photo-credit: Patricio Zamorano | www.COHA.org).

“Defund the Police” was a slogan echoing throughout the country. (Photo-credit: Patricio Zamorano | www.COHA.org).

Private building on 16th Street in which apartment windows displayed words of protest against police brutality (Photo-credit: Patricio Zamorano | www.COHA.org).

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced today that Armed Response Teams will not be part of the New Zealand policing model in the future.

A trial of the teams of police carrying firearms (ARTs) were launched in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury last year and ended in April.

In recent days, mass protests across New Zealand against police brutality – sparked by the killing of African-American George Floyd in the US on May 25 – have renewed opposition to armed police and the response teams specifically.

READ MORE: Democrats to unveil sweeping police reforms in US in wake of Black Lives Matter protests

Commissioner Coster said the decision to scrap the teams was based on preliminary findings from the trial evaluation – which is yet to be completed – feedback from the public, and consultation with community forum groups.

“It is clear to me that these response teams do not align with the style of policing that New Zealanders expect,” Coster said.

“We have listened carefully to that feedback and I have made the decision these teams will not be a part of our policing model in the future,” he said.

“As part of this, I want to reiterate that I am committed to New Zealand Police remaining a generally unarmed police service.”

Valued community relationships
Commissioner Coster said police valued their relationships with the various communities they served, and this meant working with them to find solutions that worked for both.

“How the public feels is important – we police with the consent of the public, and that is a privilege,” Coster said.

The trial aimed to have specialist police personnel ready to deploy and support frontline staff in critical or high risk incidents.

“We can only keep New Zealanders safe if we can keep our staff safe too,” he said.

“That is why police has invested in the new body armour system, we have strengthened training, and given our officers more tools and tactical options.”

Police were looking into “broad tactical capability” to ensure critical response options remained fit for purpose, he said.

“We will still complete the evaluation into ARTs and that will now inform the wider tactical capability work programme.”

Any further options arising from this would undergo consultation with communities, Coster said.

Opposition to trials
There had been widespread opposition to the trials, including a Waitangi Tribunal claim being filed by justice advocates arguing the Crown breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi by failing to work in partnership with, consult, or even inform Māori about the trial.

Māori Associate Professor of Law Dr Khylee Quince said the new Police Commissioner had clearly “read the room” in deciding to scrap ARTs.

She said Māori and Pasifika communities were already at the receiving end of a disproportionate amount of police force and adding guns to the mix would have only led to a death.

“It’s important we have a police force that not only the public trusts but that commits to the kind of policing we want in New Zealand.

“And we’ve had a clear public message that people do not want routine arming or militarisation of New Zealand police.”

She said if the ARTs had been rolled out as a permanent fixture it would have only been a matter of time before someone was killed.

‘Someone was going to get harmed’
“I don’t buy the fact that the police only drew their firearms five times. At some stage someone was going to harmed.

“I think the fact that the trial was only six months is the only reason there wasn’t a fatality in that time.”

Last week, Labour Māori Caucus said they had met with Police Minister Stuart Nash and made their views opposing the general arming of the police force very clear.

“While the decision to deploy the ART trial was independently made by the then commissioner of police, and not a government initiative, we as a caucus acknowledge the general feeling of lack of consultation about the trial that exists – especially within Māori,” Labour Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said.

A survey on on the ARTs found 85 percent of participants did not support the trial.

Justice reform advocate Laura O’Connell Rapira said 91 percent of people surveyed were less likely to call the police in family violence situations if they knew the police had guns.

‘Better off’ without armed police
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she welcomed the decision and communities were “better off” without ARTs.

“This is something to celebrate. We commend the New Zealand Police for listening to the public outcry during and after the ART trials. They have listened to the community, and made the right call,” Davidson said.

“This decision today reinforces the need for people to make their voices heard. We know that people of colour, in particular black and brown communities, do not feel protected with armed police on patrol.”

However, Davidson said there were still systemic problems police needed to address.

“There is still work to do in terms of ending systemic discrimination and systemic racism within the police, it has been well established that is still continuing and that’s why the further arming of police was heading in the wrong direction,” she said.

She said more holistic solutions were needed instead to keep communities safe, such as mental health and youth support.

The party’s justice spokesperson, Golriz Ghahraman, said the move was a step “against the American-style militarisation” of the police force.

National Party police spokesperson, Brett Hudson also agreed that the commissioner made the right choice, saying that firearms were already available to police when needed for public safety.

• This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.
• If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP – don’t show up at a medical centre.
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Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Thousands of people were protesting across Australia today to oppose the deaths of Indigenous people in police custody.

It comes as Black Lives Matter protests are held around the world after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the US state of Minneapolis.

Rallies kicked off in Brisbane and Adelaide, along with some regional centres, earlier today.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera coronavirus live updates – China warns against travel to Australia

Big crowds have also gathered for protests in Melbourne and Sydney – after the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a last-ditch attempt to lawfully authorise a Sydney protest.

The decision means thousands of protesters marching in Sydney will be immune from prosecution for breaching public health orders.

Queensland Police estimate more than 10,000 people gathered in King George Square in Brisbane’s CBD for the protest, which kicked off at 1.00pm.

It was organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) to show solidarity with the uprisings in the United States and Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.

‘Oppressed and brutalised’
“All the people who have been oppressed, and exploited, and brutalised by the system and let us fight for a better world,” the organisation said in a statement.

“First Nations people in Australia are the most incarcerated people in the world.

“We make up less than 5 percent of the general population but account for 27 percent of the general prison population, 30 percent of women’s prisons and 70 percent of youth prisons nationally.”

In Adelaide, it is estimated that thousands turned out to the rally held at Victoria Square in the CBD, with many people seen wearing face masks to protect against the spread of coronavirus.

Protesters marched along King William Street calling for an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody.

They carried Aboriginal flags and placards saying “black lives matter”.

State police commissioner Grant Stevens yesterday granted an exemption from coronavirus restrictions for the rally.

Surge in coronavirus cases warning
But an infectious diseases expert has warned it could lead to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Australian National University professor Peter Collignon said people should take steps to protect themselves and others and adhere to social distancing.

He said that “it might be a week or at least two weeks” until we see whether there has been an outbreak of cases linked to the protest gatherings.

About 1000 people also gathered in Townsville, North Queensland, this morning, for a peaceful rally to stand against black deaths in custody.

Young and old Aboriginal people, including Wulgurukaba people, spoke to the crowd about the racism and mistreatment of their people in Australia for generations.

Speakers said the death of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Social distancing appeal
As the protest started to get underway in Melbourne, organisers asked the crowd to spread out along Bourke and Spring Streets to ensure there is social distancing.

Police yesterday warned organisers could be fined if coronavirus restrictions are breached.

A 20-person limit on outdoor gatherings still applies in Victoria, and Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton yesterday said organisers could be fined if the event breaks the Chief Health Officer’s directives.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton were among those calling for people to call off the protests due to concerns of a spike in coronavirus cases.

Protest marshals wearing fluoro vests were giving people hand sanitiser as they entered the parliamentary precinct.

Victoria police officers were lined up along the lower steps of the Parliament building with police officers on horseback behind them.

A 16-year-old Koori girl, who is white and Aboriginal, said she had seen both sides of racism.

‘I’m a witness to both sides’
“Growing up, both Aboriginal and white, I’m a witness to the two sides of racism,” she said.

She said it was more important to get her story out than to worry about her health.

“I think having my own voice put out there is so much more important than if I get coronavirus,” she said.

Another protester, Greg, said he was born in 1955 and Aboriginal deaths in custody had been going on since well before that.

He said he was not “overly” concerned about his health.

“If I get sick and die, I get sick and die,” he said.

“A mate of mine was killed by police. We were both 16. That’s why I’m here.

“No one did anything about what happened to him.”

Hand sanitiser handed out
The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) has been handing out hand sanitiser, gloves and masks ahead of the Melbourne protest.

VACCHO chief executive Jill Gallagher, who is also the former Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner, said the organisation was trying to minimise risk.

“I understand why people are still going to the protests,” she told ABC News Breakfast.

“When you look at the history of this country, when you look at the 432 deaths in custody since the 1990s – and that’s only the ones that have been counted.”

She encouraged people who are sick, immunocompromised or in carer roles to stay away from the event and said she would not be attending herself as she was looking after family.

“But if you must go, stay safe, and the harm-minimisation approach is the way to go. I mean, in an ideal world we wouldn’t want a George Floyd incident to happen in the middle of a pandemic,” she said.

Not enough understanding of ‘true history’
She said she did not think there was enough understanding of the “true history” of Australia.

“I hope it is a turning point. I really do,” she said.

“Because all you’ve got to do is look at what happened over there [in the US]. That’s not just because of George Floyd. That was the trigger. That was the last straw.

“They have had 500 years of brutality to African-Americans and you can see that and how it has manifested in their protests, the anger, the hurt and the frustrations. So, we have to deal with our past before we can move on.”

WAR representatives released a list of 14 demands for the protest, including the dismantling of the policing and justice system and the implementation of all 339 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

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Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

As the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the United States, sparks a global outcry, Indonesian rights advocates and young people have stepped forward to remind fellow citizens that racism has long been an issue at home as well.

The scene of Floyd being restrained by a cop employing a knee-to-neck hold is familiar for some, who compared the incident to the 2016 case of Obby Kogoya, a Papuan man whose head was reportedly stepped on by the police before he was arrested during the siege of a Papuan student dormitory in Yogyakarta.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which has accompanied a call for street rallies worldwide, has since been adapted into #PapuanLivesMatter, with many turning to social media to urge Indonesians to also speak up against the racial discrimination and violence that Papuans have long endured.

READ MORE: Global fight against racism: Papuan lives also matter

“Many Indonesians support the hashtag #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd to denounce the actions of the American police over racial discrimination against black people. This is inversely proportional to when Papuans are racially abused,” Papuan activist Rico Tude tweeted on Tuesday.

Rico, who writes for Papuan media platform suarapapua.com, criticised the “double standards” of Indonesians in addressing the issue of racism abroad and at home, saying some might fear the risk of discussing sensitive topics related to Papua or lamented the history of Papuan political attitudes.

“Some people think that the racism experienced by Papuan people is a logical consequence that must be accepted by those who are considered separatists,” said Rico, who is also the spokesman for the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP).

While being far from the central government’s reach at home, many native Papuans have to put up with discrimination against their skin color and stereotypes while searching for a better life in other cities.

Rejection by landlords
Some students previously told The Jakarta Post that they faced rejection by landlords when looking for rooming houses to rent only because they were Papuans, while others had to endure racial slurs.

In other circumstances, such as when engaging in peaceful rallies to voice their political aspirations, many Papuans have reportedly faced physical intimidation and brutality by law enforcement personnel.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has tried to reach out more with his development and infrastructure approach but critics and activists argued that Jakarta continues to fail in addressing human rights issues and the repression against their freedom of expression.

On Sunday, Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman and two native Papuans held an online discussion on how the #BlackLivesMatter campaign had echoed the Papuan movement against the long-standing racism and injustice they felt in Indonesian society.

They agreed that the string of protests against Floyd’s death were similar to what happened in Papua last year – when thousands rallied against racism after a Papuan student was called a “monkey” by security personnel in Surabaya, East Java.

“Dialogue to advocate for Papua-related issues is not enough. Unlike the Floyd case, racism in Papua continues because the public lacks knowledge of it,” said one of the speakers, Mikael Kudiai.

Cisco Mofu, another speaker, called for other Indonesians to open their minds and listen to the aspirations of Papuans and be willing to “criticise the state for its mistakes”.

Time to raise awareness
In a statement to the Post, Koman said it was time to raise awareness among the public, as people outside the activist circle, including celebrities and influencers, had also reached out for discussion.

Actress Hannah Al Rashid, for instance, is among those who have amplified such discussion and called for people to actively listen instead of making assumptions about the issue through her Twitter account.

“Let’s start speaking up for Papua. The government has been able to perpetuate impunity in Papua because the people haven’t spoken out. We do need your voices but please be mindful in amplifying Papuan voices,” Koman said.

Many internet users have also geared up to help disseminate information on issues surrounding Papua and shared links for people to sign petitions and donate to various causes to help Papuan people.

Young initiators, through online media platform Kudeta Mag, were among those who compiled the links and reading material on the website weneedtotalkaboutpapua.carrd.co.

“It should be our responsibility as Indonesians to feel obligated to understand our own country,” Kudeta Mag chief editor Jordinna Joaquin told the Post, “We need to talk, have these conversations, donate whenever and whatever we can and demand justice where it’s needed.”

Call for strong stand
Amnesty International Indonesia also called on the government to take a strong stand against systemic racism by guaranteeing Papuan rights to freedom of expression and stopping all forms of violence against those who peacefully express their opinions.

“The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis must be a reminder that discrimination and intimidation also happens to native Papuans in Indonesia, and most of the cases have yet to be resolved,” executive director Usman Hamid said on Wednesday.

The rights group also urged the authority to immediately release 51 Papuan prisoners of conscience.

“They do not deserve to be in jail because they did not commit any crimes. Justice must be upheld,” Usman said.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By COHA Editorial Team
From Washington DC

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) joins the Black Alliance for Peace^[1] and other pro-democracy organizations throughout the world in calling for the United Nations to address the systemic violations of human rights by the police and other security forces in the United States. We also express deep disappointment that the Organization of American States and its Secretary General, Luis Almagro, have remained silent in the face of these grave human violations occurring in the very place it has its headquarters and by the Member State that provides the most funding. Instead, the Secretary continues to support the illegal unilateral coercive measures the US dictates against the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, while aiding in the removal of the legitimate authorities of Bolivia.

We condemn the murder by a Minnesota police officer of George Floyd and support the clamor of millions for more just  social, economic, and juridical institutions and practices, which have imposed multiple hierarchies of domination on people of color for more than two centuries within and outside the US borders.

The very conditions Washington has used to justify intervention in the internal affairs of other nations in the Western Hemisphere — alleged breaks in the democratic order — are now transparently revealed in the streets, court houses, and prisons of the US. Some of the same mechanisms of social control deployed by US-backed security forces in Latin America for more than two centuries are now turned inward with naked brutality against demonstrators, bystanders and reporters at home. Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s rejection of use of the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the armed forces to repress legitimate peaceful protests is a welcome gesture. But this alone will not stop President Trump’s call for more coercive action by police, the National Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, and units of the Armed Forces. Instead of projecting the US Presidency as a conciliatory voice during these times of acute social and moral crisis, Donald Trump is using rhetoric based on animosity, military repression, political division, and bigotry.

Just as our neighbors to the South were never alone, this time the US people are receiving the solidarity of millions throughout the world.

COHA has exposed the underside of corrupt governance in Latin America for almost half a century; today that corruption is undeniably present in our own front yard. While we have documented attacks on journalists in the region, that freedom of expression and access to information is under attack right here at home in the form of police brutality against the press covering the protests. The governments of Australia^[2] and Germany^[3], among others, have formally complained to the US government regarding the harsh police repression suffered by journalists and cameramen of those and other countries. Some reports^[4] show as many as 250 press freedom violations during the protests organized after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It is not too late for the US government to change course and begin to address the root causes of police brutality and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. By ending qualified immunity and placing public security under community control, a real start can be made towards deep reform. Also, we can only make progress to overcome economic and social inequality, militarism, and racism, if the present movement for social justice has the space to practice a politics of transformation; the attempt to crush this popular expression may have dire consequences.

In the meantime, the UN and other international organizations must condemn not only the US government’s repression of peaceful protesters, but also its longstanding practice of systemic racism. If the US is not called to account, the multilateral system would indeed be guilty of the same racist chauvinism on display within the US borders.

[Credit photo: Open license, https://www.flickr.com/photos/fibonacciblue/49939836178/]

End notes

^[1] “Black Alliance for Peace Calls on United Nations to Address U.S. Human Rights Crisis,” https://blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/2020/5/29/black-alliance-for-peace-calls-on-united-nations-to-address-human-rights-crisis-in-the-united-states

^[2] “Australia will investigate attack on journalists by police in Washington,” https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/media/australia-journalists-protests-washington/index.html

^[3] “Germany’s top diplomat: George Floyd protests ‘legitimate,’ urges press freedom,” https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-top-diplomat-george-floyd-protests-legitimate-urges-press-freedom/a-53657019

^[4] “At least 125 press freedom violations reported over 3 days of U.S. protests,” https://cpj.org/2020/06/at-least-125-press-freedom-violations-reported-over-3-days-of-us-protests/ This number has been updated to 250 violations. See the spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zk9oFDJ3Ocbz80Z1ISSW4Sd5xv1vQTj_tF8KCbPsZxs/edit#gid=0

Thousands of New Zealanders have joined large numbers of Americans in protesting following the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd.

In Auckland, Aotea Square overflowed yesterday with people before thousands marched down Queen Street towards the US consulate building.

Organisers said the aim was simple,”we want to put pressure on our government from the local level, right up to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to publicly condemn the acts of violence and state-sanctioned murder against African Americans in the United States”.

READ MORE: George Floyd protesters undeterred by curfews in US cities

Protests have been held in more than 30 cities across the US and throughout the world after disturbing video surfaced showing bystanders pleading with a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, as he gasped for breath.

Floyd died from the incident, the latest in a string of deaths of black men and women at the hands of US police.

Nigerian-Kiwi Mary Adeosun drove up from Hamilton for the protest.

She was in tears as she spoke to our reporter: “I really feel for my skin-folk, for the innocent lives that have been taken… I’m so far away in this country and I’m seeing people who look like me dying [in the US]”.

Hobson Hohepa flew his Tino Rangatiratanga flag high at the protest: “[Racism] happens here in our country. It happens to us. It happens to me. I’ve had enough.”

Ricky Wilkins is an African-American from Los Angeles, California. He has been living in New Zealand for the past seven months.

“I feel loved. Everybody wants to be us but no one wants to care for us. It’s just amazing to see in Aotearoa how people are representing and showing us love.”

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

#BlackLivesMatter

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A teenager held her phone steady enough to capture the final moments of George Perry Floyd’s life as he apparently suffocated under the weight of a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck. The video went viral.

What happened next has played out time and again in American cities after high-profile cases of alleged police brutality.

Vigils and protests were organised in Minneapolis and around the United States to demand police accountability. But while investigators and officials called for patience, unrest boiled over. News reports soon carried images of property destruction and police in riot gear.

READ MORE: US police seen as using excessive force as outrage over George Floyd’s death rises

The general public’s opinions about protests and the social movements behind them are formed in large part by what they read or see in the media. This gives journalists a lot of power when it comes to driving the narrative of a demonstration.

They can emphasiSe the disruption protests cause or echo the dog whistles of politicians that label protesters as “thugs.”

But they can also remind the public that at the heart of the protests is the unjust killing of another black person. This would take the emphasis away from the destruction of the protests and toward the issues of police impunity and the effects of racism in its many forms.

The role journalists play can be indispensable if movements are to gain legitimacy and make progress. And that puts a lot of pressure on journalists to get things right.

My research has found that some protest movements have more trouble than others getting legitimacy. My co-author Summer Harlow and I have studied how local and metropolitan newspapers cover protests. We found that narratives about the Women’s March and anti-Trump protests gave voice to protesters and significantly explored their grievances. On the other end of the spectrum, protests about anti-black racism and indigenous people’s rights received the least legitimizing coverage, with them more often seen as threatening and violent.

Forming the narrative
Decades ago, scholars James Hertog and Douglas McLeod identified how news coverage of protests contributes to the maintenance of the status quo, a phenomenon referred to as “the protest paradigm.” They held that media narratives tend to emphasize the drama, inconvenience and disruption of protests rather than the demands, grievances and agendas of protesters.

These narratives trivialise protests and ultimately dent public support.

Here’s how this theoretically plays out today:

Journalists pay little attention to protests that aren’t dramatic or unconventional.

Knowing this, protesters find ways to capture media and public attention. They don pink “pussy” hats or kneel during the national anthem. They might even resort to violence and lawlessness.

Now the protesters have the media’s attention, but what they cover is often superficial or delegitimising, focusing on the tactics and disruption caused and excluding discussion on the substance of the social movement.

We wanted to explore if this classic theory fit coverage from 2017 – a year of large-scale protests accompanying the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency.

To do so, we analysed the framing of protest reporting from newspapers in Texas. The state’s size and diversity made it a good proxy for the country at large.

In all, we identified 777 articles by searching for terms such as “protest,” “protester,” “Black Lives Matter” and “Women’s March.” This included reports written by journalists in 20 Texas newsrooms, such as the El Paso Times and the Houston Chronicle, as well as syndicated articles from sources like the Associated Press.

We looked at how articles framed the protests in the headline, opening sentence and story structure, and classified the reporting using four recognized frames of protest:

• Riot: Emphasizing disruptive behavior and the use or threat of violence.
• Confrontation: Describing protests as combative, focusing on arrests or “clashes” with police.
• Spectacle: Focusing on the apparel, signs or dramatic and emotional behavior of protesters.
• Debate: Substantially mentioning protester’s demands, agendas, goals and grievances.

We also kept an eye out for sourcing patterns to identify imbalances that often give more credence to authorities than protesters and advocates.

Overall, news coverage tended to trivialize protests by focusing most often on dramatic action. But some protests suffered more than others.

Reports focused on spectacle more often than substance. Much was made of what protesters were wearing, crowd sizes – large and small – celebrity involvement and flaring tempers.

The substance of some marches got more play than others. Around half of the reports on anti-Trump protests, immigration rallies, women’s rights demonstrations and environmental actions included substantial information about protesters’ grievances and demands.

In contrast, Dakota Pipeline and anti-black racism-related protests got legitimising coverage less than 25 percent of the time and were more likely to be described as disruptive and confrontational.

In coverage of a St Louis protest over the acquittal of a police officer who killed a black man, violence, arrest, unrest and disruption were the leading descriptors, while concern about police brutality and racial injustice was reduced to just a few mentions.

Buried more than 10 paragraphs down was the broader context: “The recent St. Louis protests follow a pattern seen since the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson: the majority of demonstrators, though angry, are law-abiding.”

As a consequence of variances in coverage, Texas newspaper readers may form the perception that some protests are more legitimate than others. This contributes to what we call a “hierarchy of social struggle,” in which the voices of some advocacy groups are lifted over others.

Lurking bias
Journalists contribute to this hierarchy by adhering to industry norms that work against less-established protest movements. On tight deadlines, reporters may default to official sources for statements and data.

This gives authorities more control of narrative framing. This practice especially becomes an issue for movements like Black Lives Matter that are countering the claims of police and other officials.

Implicit bias also lurks in such reporting. Lack of diversity has long plagued newsrooms.

In 2017, the proportion of white journalists at The Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle was more than double the proportion of white people in each city.

Protests identify legitimate grievances in society and often tackle issues that affect people who lack the power to address them through other means. That’s why it is imperative that journalists do not resort to shallow framing narratives that deny significant and consistent space to air the afflicted’s concerns while also comforting the very comfortable status quo.

Dr Danielle K. Kilgo is an assistant professor of journalism at Indiana University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

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