Activist's arrest prompts questions about security powers/Scott Parkin

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A prominent lawyer has questioned whether the Federal Government has abused its powers by planning to deport an American peace activist. Scott Parkin has been in Australia since June. He was arrested in Melbourne on Saturday after his visa was revoked when an assessment showed he posed a threat to Australia's national security. Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside QC says he wants to know why it took so long for authorities to act if indeed Mr Parkin is a security threat.

"They've got the right but the question is whether that right has been exercised in a way that provides sufficient protection for ordinary citizens of Australia," he said. Greens Senator Bob Brown has described Mr Parkin's detention and probable deportation as an abuse of ASIO's powers. "We're not a police state," Senator Brown said. "ASIO's emergency powers, which have gone through the Parliament opposed by the Greens, were meant to be for terrorists, not for people who are campaigning against the misdeeds of the US administration or its associates."

Mr Parkin's legal adviser, Marika Dias, says he has attended several protests in Australia but has done nothing wrong.She says Mr Parkin is shocked by his arrest.
"He's suspected of doing something but what that something is hasn't been made clear to him or us," Ms Dias said."To my knowledge the activities that he's been involved in have been about peaceful protests, peaceful activism, certainly non-violent activism." A group of peace activists has staged a demonstration in support of Mr Parkin at Milton in inner Brisbane.Protest spokesman Sam La Rocca says Mr Parkin is an advocate for peaceful community action against corporate greed. But Ms La Rocca says the Government's actions are wrong. "The Australian Government is once again failing to protect real national security and what they're doing today is deporting democracy," she said. "I think it's shameful."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1458026.htm

A little backround on Scott Parkin
Scott Parkin, an experienced community organiser, activist and trainer from Houston, Texas works with Houston Global Awareness, campaigning to get the corporate war profiteer, Halliburton, out of Iraq
http://users2.ev1.net/~geosynch/hgac.html

[countmyvote4real]

1. Ahh. He offends the Halliburton corporation.

Need I say more? The writing is on the wall and John Roberts as Chief Justice of the SCOTUS will bring back slavery for real. Only it won't just be for blacks. It will be for anyone that has a legitimate complaint with their boss, company or government.

[LibertyLou]

2. Left I on the News has a good bit on him...

"And who is this Scott Parkin with the dangerous character? Well, here's an article from CounterPunch he wrote back in May, and here's an interview with him from April. As you'll learn if you read them, he's an extremely dangerous person, who has been involved with (gasp!) "screening films on recent developments in Iraq, informing folks about Halliburton's involvement in Iraq with a teach-in and using a large spirited demonstration and non-violent direct action to put pressure on Halliburton." Wow, look out Australia - "You better run, you better take cover."

And what specifically was he doing in Australia? This:

" cross-movement workshop/forum will be a chance for Melbourne activists to hear about and discuss international experiences, innovations and emerging trends in organising for grassroots direct action campaigns."
Threats don't get much more serious than that! Here's how one of his friends describes him: "He's a hippy giving workshops on peace, non-violent direct action."

Then again, Cindy Sheehan is "just a mom." A mom who's got George Bush hiding under the covers. Dangerous people come in all forms."

http://lefti.blogspot.com/