Police under fire for anti-terrorism raids 

Police have come under fire for the unprecedented way the Terrorism Suppression Act was used for the first time in raids across New Zealand on Monday.

But more raids have been carried out and police say more arrests are likely.

"I can now reassure the public that the action that we've taken is necessary to mitigate the risk," Howard Broad, Police Commissioner says.

But many are questioning the so-called risk and have described the police decision to execute search warrants under the Suppression of Terrorism act as over the top and aimed at creating a climate of fear.

"They say now the public has nothing to fear because they've nipped this in the bud, but raising this whole spectre does create a climate of fear... and this is a way to use and to increase the resources the powers police and the surveillance agencies have got," said David Small, a terror expert.

Barry Wilson, from the Council for Civil Liberties, adds, "The problem is the attack has been made on a very broad range - peace groups, community groups, anti-mining protesters, the Save Happy Valley coalition. This whole range of peaceful activist groups have been smeared with the spectre of terrorism and we've yet to see any real justification."

Union officials are also questioning the timing of the raids, saying they coincide with a proposed law change to make the terrorism suppression act even tougher.

"The police have raised the spectre that there is terrorism involved here... I'm willing to predict now, that that will quietly disappear because they will not have evidence of terrorist activity. In the meantime, they've created this climate of fear in the community, as a way to push forward the latest anti-terrorist legislation," says John Minto, from Unite.

A defence lawyer representing a number of those arrested in the Bay of Plenty, including Tuhoe activist Tame Iti  says the background talk of the Terrorism Suppression Act relating to her clients is concerning.

"What the police are saying is that they're characterising the right to protest. For instance, the right to declare the need for Maori to have to their own sovereignty in this country, the right to have a nationhood recognised in this country as something akin to terrorism. That is a fetter on the freedom of speech," says Annette Sykes, defence lawyer.

But police are standing by their use of the anti-terror laws, saying the decision was not taken lightly.

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