Marika Hill and Michael Field
AUCKLAND (Stuff.co.nz/Pacific Media Watch): A pro-democracy Fijian group is threatening to protest in Auckland just as the Rugby World Cup begins in New Zealand in September.
About 250 people - predominantly Fijians - gathered in Papatoetoe last night for a rally organised by Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement NZ.
The pro-democracy group's president, Josaia Rasiga, called on the government to prosecute New Zealanders working in the Fiji government during the "Free Fiji Rally".
A number of prominent New Zealanders work for the Fiji government, including Solicitor-General Christopher Pryde.
Rasiga, a former Fijian police officer, threatened to protest at the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland if the New Zealand government failed to take action against those New Zealanders.
If the group did protest, it would coincide with the Rugby World Cup.
The PIF is being held in Auckland from September 6 to 9, while the Rugby World Cup opening game at Eden Park is on September 9.
Mara speaks
Exiled Fijian lieutenant-colonel Tevita Mara also spoke at the rally.
Mara is in New Zealand for a five-day visit to call on a return of democracy to Fiji.
Unionists also made their presence felt at the rally.
NZ Council of Trade Unions secretary Peter Conway spoke about the harassment of union workers in Fiji.
''I’m calling on the international labour organisations to get more involved,” he said.
NZCTU recently launched a campaign against what it says are a deterioration of civil and trade union rights in Fiji.
As part of the campaign, the NZCTU had threatened to stop servicing Air Pacific flights to the islands.
However, the airline sent a letter to NZCTU earlier this week threatening legal action if the union went ahead with industrial action.
The letter said if union members refused to work while in New Zealand, it would be an unlawful strike under the Employment Relations Act, as it did not relate to collective bargaining, or grounds of safety and health.
NZCTU has since backed down from threatened industrial action involving Air Pacific because of the possibility of lawsuits, Radio NZ reported.
Pacific Media Watch
