@PopsHustle-xw2zo

20 hours ago

The Gangs Act 2024 includes provisions that prohibit the display of gang insignia in public and empower police to issue dispersal orders and apply for court-mandated communication bans. While ostensibly targeted at reducing gang activity, these measures infringe on several rights guaranteed under The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, including:
• Section 14: Freedom of Expression, as prohibiting the display of certain symbols restricts individuals' ability to express their identity or affiliations, regardless of whether such expressions are offensive to others.
• Section 16: Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, undermined by powers allowing police to disperse individuals based solely on perceived association.
• Section 17: Freedom of Association, directly contradicted by court orders banning communication or association for three years, which could impact not only offenders but also their families and communities.
These restrictions are also inconsistent with international human rights obligations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 19 and 20) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 19 and 21), which safeguard the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
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2. Vague Provisions and Discriminatory Policing
The Act's broad definitions—such as what constitutes "gang insignia" or a "gang member"—invite arbitrary interpretation and enforcement. This vagueness risks empowering law enforcement to disproportionately target specific communities, especially Māori and Pasifika populations, who are already overrepresented in the justice system.
Furthermore, dispersal orders grant police sweeping discretion to order individuals to leave public spaces. Without clear guidelines or robust accountability mechanisms, these powers create fertile ground for abuse, racial profiling, and infringement of basic liberties.
We need to unitedly stand to oppose such laws this can be done via the governments website
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/

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