Policing, Politics, and Civil Rights: Analysis of the Policing of Protest against the 1999 Chinese President’s Visit to New Zealand

Abstract

In September 1999, New Zealand Police on occasions shielded Chinese President Jiang from pro‐Tibetan protesters. This paper argues that police, conscious of government intent for an incident‐free visit, were more concerned with protecting the Head of State’s sensitivities than accommodating the civil rights of protesters. At vital stages, police reneged on negotiations with protest organisers, which created a sense of loss of civil liberties for the protesters. Failures during the visit tarnished the New Zealand Police’s image, but significantly, both parliament and police have reassessed appropriate strategies to balance fundamental rights and the protection of visiting dignitaries. The case study affirms various public order lessons, including the importance of negotiation and maintaining agreements and the protection of civil rights.

Keywords:

• Police
• Protest
• Civil Rights
• Negotiated Management
• Security Operations
• Chinese President

Notes

[1] References to Report refer to the Report of the Justice and Electoral Committee Inquiry into matters relating to the visit of the President of China to New Zealand in 1999 (December 2000, House of Representatives). All references labelled Submission refer to submissions presented to that committee.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Baker

Dr David Baker is Senior Lecturer and Criminal Justice Co‐ordinator at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. His main area of research is public order policing, especially the policing of industrial disorder. His book, Batons and Blockades: The Policing of Industrial Disputes in Australasia, was published in 2005 by Circa, Melbourne Publishing Group. He has also researched and published in areas of police history, South Pacific policing, police unionism, criminal justice, labour history, industrial relations, and politics. He is the Australian representative for the ‘International Comparative Research Project on the Use of Force by Police.’