Close contact for key protesters

By Warren Gamble

It must rank as one of the prime protest sites in Apec history.

Only 30m across Queen St from the entrance to the Auckland Town Hall where world leaders will meet and only 150m from the international media centre, the Methodist Mission could hardly be better placed for Apec opponents.

Already a haven for the homeless, the mission is temporary home for the Apec Monitoring Group, which has set up an alternative media centre in the foyer.

There is no chance of missing it: a banner facing the Town Hall proclaims: Apec = Poverty + Injustice, and a window display below is full of anti-Apec posters and advice on demonstrations.

However, Apec leaders will be spared the protest display as they will enter the Town Hall for their Sunday night banquet from a sealed-off Aotea Square.

A spokesman for the Apec Monitoring Group, Aziz Choudry, said a steady stream of foreign journalists and members of the public had already been drawn in to hear an opposing view of the free trade agenda.

"A lot of people have been saying how amazing to have it so close to ground zero for official Apec meetings," he said.

The only contact he has had with the large police presence nearby has been to distribute leaflets to a conspicuous group of undercover officers on the footpath outside the mission.

Mr Choudry and the group, which is supported by Corso and the Trade Union Federation, have adopted a non-engagement policy with police and Apec organisers.

He said a rally and march planned for Sunday afternoon would be a peaceful event beginning in Albert Park and ending at the Auckland School of Medicine carpark at Grafton.

"You can't expect to put a social and friendly face on the free market - it's a bit like expecting a tiger to become a vegan."

The Methodist Mission will hold a vigil on Sunday night challenging the impact of Apec on people's lives.