Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

Protest action group "People Power New Zealand" have claimed responsibility for a brick attack on PM Hillin Cluck's Mt Albert electorate office this morning.

(The lobby group also claimed responsibility for throwing a brick at the same office window on the 1st of January, saying their actions were the first protest against the controversial "Electoral Finance Act".)

The white brick was thrown on the morning of the PM's "State of the Nation" speech, which followed National Party leader John Key's own speech yesterday, targeting youth training and young criminals.

People Power New Zealand say their protests are in "active opposition to suppression of expression by the Labour Government of ordinary New Zealand citizens."

In a media statement, the group pointed to the shutting down of the “Don’t Vote Labour” website as "an action of citizen oppression more familiar to, and practiced within China, North Korea, Fiji, and Zimbabwe".

The white painted brick thrown at Labour's Mt Albert electorate office contained a number of protest slogans, including “Repeal the EFA”, “No to Fascism”, “Retrospect THIS”, and“Viva Le Referendum”.

Despite criticism from many quarters, People Power NZ are promising more acts of "active protest during election year, saying, "the time has come for active civil disobedience and resistance to increasing state control... Citizen apathy in New Zealand has paved the way to a growing totalitarian state".

* Scoop: Clark’s speech won’t save her, says People Power
* People Power (New Zealand) blog