Has the plausible promise been demonstrated this quickly, or has the State already lost legitimacy?
A Tuhoe hapu (probably not affiliated with the paramilitary camps) have closed off part of Te Urewera National Park by blockading an access road. Police are saying that roads are the responsibility of the local council and are refusing to do anything about it.
The group has indicated that the blockade of the road will continue though summer, due to a disagreement with the council over fees for access to the land; three popular holiday locations will be more difficult to access (there are other access points to the park).
Interesting rhetoric from the group:
- They claim the blockade is not linked to the recent police raids
- We are "not protesters, we are freedom fighters"
- Emergency workers will be allowed access
- Members of the public can approach the group for a permit to access the area (the permits are for "safety reasons")
The group obviously feels that there will be no significant consequences for this (or none that can't be overcome). By requiring permits, they are demonstrating their ability to take the place of the State in the area, creating a semi-autonomous zone that they control.
Once one group demonstrates that the State can be beaten at the moral level, everyone else piles on.