First arrest over Wanganui patch ban bylaw

Honestly, I can't believe how many people are scared of the way someone looks. To the supporters of this rediculous bylaw, has any gang actually done harm to you personally?....Really?...It is the job of police to enforce the law, not to deal with someone wearing a patch for gods sake!! I would suggest that the gangs which do most harm to NZ are the ones with multi-million dollar drug operations & who don't wear patches openly at all. This is where money needs to be invested to get rid of. This is petty thuggery on behalf of Mr Laws. It is not a win for "decency & democracy" as he puts it. It is a stampede on expressionism & the right to free assembly. As a fearless, free thinking society, we need to ask ourselves this question. What is more damaging, putting up with gang rubbish, or santioning the ability to determine how a person expresses their affiliations? Lets remember that not all gang activity is illegal. Why the average person lets this gang regailia scare them is totally beyond me. Its actually an insulting form of Government protectionism, I thought we got rid of the nanny state with Labour?? Harden up!!

@John #71 - rubbish mate. This is a good start. It just needs to be adopted NZ wide. Then we can start to vote in legislation to make gang membership illegal, then we can close these muppets down and move on to the next social problem.

Oh, BTW - most of the symbols used by these f'wits are BANNED in Europe. It is illegal in many countries to display the Swastika for instance. I have been in many situations where one of those flashed in your face certainly makes you think about the immediate consequences of your next actions.

me #155 -Funny how you automatically assume they are all Maori's!!

Protestors claiming to defend civil liberties.... How about civil liberties of people who are too intimidated to go out due to gang terror or the businesses which suffer ? Maybe ship all these protesting bunnies to Zimbabwe or North korea where they will atleast find a worthy cause to protest about.

I am at work, paying taxes so they can be at a protest to moan and complain about how they are being unfairly treated. We work hard to earn enough of a wage to live/survive on and at the same time are supplementing their illegal gains with the dole etc. Why do gang members feel the deserve more than the average Kiwi? The Government seems to just accept this. I am sick of being bullied by them let alone gangs. Wanganui is not the only place with a gang problem, they are simply the first to stand up and address it.

good stuff ..... who cares if de-badging these dropkicks is the 'tip of the iceberg' a stand has been made and no longer is it legal for these freeloading neanderthals to stoop around public places sporting their lame patchwork and intimidating the average citizen, fingers crossed the rest of the country plays the game and joins forces to make these primadonna thugs look less staunch!!

@ scuba steve #20 …by definition "gang - a group of people together for a common cause”: My colleagues and I sitting here at work are therefore a gang. You need to add a dose of common sense to that definition for it to work.

all the people that are saying that gang members are not violent thugs is really diluded, just look at the prison population of NZ and most of them are gang members or associates of gangs. Good on Michael Laws for having the balls to do something and protect his city, wish more mayors would have the guts to follow his stance. New Zealand would be a much better place without gangs but hey, then whos gona fill our prisons and take our money by living on the doll and creating crime. You have my vote Michael, good on ys mate- TRUE KIWI RIGHT THERE.

Thank you, G.#129, you're completely right. Most of the rest of you are mad if you think this is going to make any difference.

GREAT!! All councils in NZ should follow the Wanganui lead! The gang problem is NZ wide and organised crime needs to be fought at every level - Well done Michael Laws - I wish my council had similar backbone.