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Thursday, November 6, 2014

NZ-wide protest against TPPA this weekend



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This weekend there are protest marches planned nationwide against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) to kick off a global day of action.

There’s one near you in - Sat 8th Nov

The TPPA has been talked about for several years now – there's a good chance you've already heard about it and you may already have joined a protest or signed petitions against it – but the details of the deal don't get any less shocking with time or familiarity.

It’s complex and has been negotiated in secret but essentially, the TPPA is an international 'trade agreement' that amongst other things could hand foreign corporations the power to overturn NZ laws if their profits are threatened.

It’s a threat to our democracy and to our environment.

Here's an example of what it could look like in practice; in the future if a more progressive government wanted to strengthen laws to protect our coastlines from oil drilling or our national parks from mining, then foreign companies like Statoil or Shell could potentially sue New Zealand for the loss of profit!

It’s bad news whichever way you look at it.

The TPPA is being called a trade deal, but really it’s a corporate power-play designed to control and curtail everything from environmental protection and affordable medicines right through to internet freedom.

It’s really important that as many people as possible get out on the streets this weekend to show the Government that we won’t take this lying down.

Click here to find an event near you.

Nick and the whole crew at Greenpeace