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Look out, I am armed and dangerous!

I really can't believe that the clowns at the South Waikato District Council are still at it -- but they are.

As regular readers will know, I was trespassed from the Council building earlier this year for the heinous crime of daring to stand quietly at the back of the room and record a public meeting in full compliance with that council's own Standing Orders (section 12.4 which states that "The public may record public meetings").

After mayor "adjourned" the meeting, only to claim later that the meeting had never started -- which begs the question "how did he manage to adjourn it?", I received the trespass notice and the justification was that my actions were "disruptive".

Remember that I didn't utter a single word, didn't obstruct anyone, didn't incite any person in any way and was 100 percent passive for the entire few minutes that this farce took to play out.

Well yesterday, seemingly aware of how ludicrous this justification appears, the CE of the SWDC, Ms Susan Law (not a lawyer as defined by the Act but claims to be one), decided to change the reason for that trespass and the new justification is even crazier than the first.

A committee meeting at the SWDC was told yesterday by Ms Law that I had been trespassed because it was her job to ensure the safety of staff and elected members, something that on this one occasion, required the issue of that trespass order.

Now let me get this straight...

I'm a 73 year old man who was diagnosed with Parkinson's six years ago. The only thing I've ever carried into the council chambers is a camera. My interactions with staff, regardless of their bullying, has always been to respond with politeness and good manners.

I have never threatened or even spoken harshly to anyone -- let alone presented a threat of physical violence to them. This, even though one councilor (Cr Josiah Teokotai) once called me out to engage in a fist-fight in the car-park when I criticised him during a consultation.

Despite this, apparently *I* am a danger to staff and elected members and should therefore be trespassed, according to Ms Law -- as she desperately fumbles to justify breaching my rights and to fend of pending legal action.

It gets even better...

In a report to this committee, it was disclosed that one member of the community (not me) has been so aggresive towards council staff that police have had to be called on multiple occasions.

Yet... *they* have not been trespassed, despite those overt demonstrations of aggression to the level of police intervention.

So, do we really believe this latest excuse from Ms Law and honestly believe that this 73 year old pensioner with his camera, standing silently in the rear of the public gallery poses a threat to the physical or mental safety of council staff and elected members?

Why do they have to lie so blatantly about these things?

The answer is simple...

Right now they find themselves in a hole, a very deep hole of their own making. Instead of backing down, admitting fault and remedying the situation, they instead choose to keep digging, hoping that one more lie will sort out the problems they have created.

This latest justification for the trespass notice that breaches my rights under section 14 of the NZ Bill of Rights (and thus exposes the council to my claims for significant civil damages) will be laughed out of court by any judge that such an action may come before. That they've chopped and changed so often on the reason provided is also not going to do them any favours -- especiall when I have footage of the Mayor admitting to a public meeting that the *real* reason he doesn't want my camera there is because he doesn't like what I do with the footage.

That's infringing my right to freedom of expression. Section 14 of the NZ Bill of Rights clearly states:

The Mayor and CE have clearly set out to usurp that right and now seek to try and cover their arses by making up the most ludicrous of excuses.

The South Waikato District Circus is still in town.

Carpe Diem folks!

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