Auckland University’s Student Association (AUSA) is offering a $5000 reward to any Auckland University student who makes a successful citizen’s arrest of United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to Auckland over the weekend.
“Rice is the public spokesperson for an illegal and immoral occupation that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths,” AUSA International Affairs Officer Omar Hamed said, referring to the 2003 American invasion and continuing occupation of Iraq.
The motion for the reward, moved by Hamed, was passed at the AUSA exec meeting last Monday.
“It’s hard enough living as a student in Auckland these days without having a war criminal coming to town, so we thought we’d give our students a chance to make a dent in their student loans and work for global justice at the same time,” AUSA President David Do said.
When asked how the exec intended to fund the reward, Do admitted that the promised $5000 had not been budgeted for. “The likelihood of a [successful arrest] is low, but if it does happen, we will pay for it.”
“The intent was more symbolic than anything… it’s a statement of the strong feelings [against the invasion and occupation]. It’s hard to find students who are still supportive of it these days.”
Do said that he had not yet encountered a negative response to the exec’s reward offer. “We have not been contacted by the police [either], just media,” he added.
Do anticipates that a number of Auckland University students will be attending a protest against Rice on Saturday afternoon, as organised by Global Peace and Justice Auckland.