Should Nandor Tanczos be Talking to the Police?

An appeal to Green Party MP Nandor Tancos


Green Party MP Nandor Tanczos has been a strong campaigner against the recent police raids on the so called "Urewera 17"

Mr Tanczos has been an anarchist activist since his teens and has strong coonnections to the radical scene in the Auckland, the Waikato and Wellington.


Mr Tanczos has also been a strong supporter of the Save Happy Valley Campaign.

The Wellington branch of the SHVC is based at 128 Alel Smith Street Wellington, an anarchist hangout, to which several of the "Urewera 17" are connected.

Several of those arrested, including Omar Hamed, Tim/Ira Bailey, Emily Bailey and the as yet unnamed 23 year old Swiss national have been heavily involved in SHVC.

Several supporters and associates of the anarchist contingent of the "Urewera 17" arrestees are also active in the SHVC.

Given Mr Tanczos' anarchist connections and his strong support for the SHVC, it is a safe bet that Mr Tanczos personally knows some of those arrested and their supporters.

This makes a statement posted by Mr Tancos on a Green Party internet forum 26th January 2006, particularly interesting.

The context was a discussion on the place of Maori in New Zealand society and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Here is Mr Tanczos' statement-emphasis added;

If we say 'well Pakeha have the power now, so tough' and base our occupation on simple domination, then we have to prepare ourselves for permanent civil unrest and eventually when the demographics change enough, for outright war. I have spoken to people who see this as the future, and it frightens the hell out of me.

I think that the high level of Maori in prison is indicative that many people DO see this as the reality, both in the sense of many esp. poor Maori having no stake or commitment to society in its current forms, and also in the sense of a racist system parts of which aim to dominate and suppress Maori people.

Could the people Mr Tanczos has "spoken to" included some of the anarchist or Maori activists arrested on October 15th?

Could some of them be "Urewera 17" supporters not yet arrested or interviewed by police?

Does Mr Tanczos possess information that could be valuable to police investigating the "Urewera 17" or other networks?

Seventeen people, some of whom Mr Tanczos almost certainly knows face firearms charges. There was clearly sufficient evidence for police to suspect at least some of them to be involved in planning terrorist activities.

Some reports have indicated that up to 100 people may have been involved in "activities" in the Ureweras, so there may still be several people in the community that police need to know about.

Therefore I urge Mr Tanczos to take any information he may have, no matter how minor it may seem, to the police.

One small piece of information may be enough to allow police to make more arrests or uncover further potentially dangerous activities. It may even save lives.

I therefore urge Mr Tanczos to put aside his loyalties to his anarchist friends and put his country and his constituents first.