New Zealand

On October 15, 2007, approximately 60 raids targeting Māori indigenous activists, anarchists, and other activists took place across New Zealand as part of an operation called “Operation 8.” A few more raids took place in 2007 and 2008. Around 20 people were arrested and initially accused of participating in a terrorist group and organizing “quasi-military training camps” in remote rural areas. In 2007 the original accusations were dropped and most of the defendants were instead charged with possession of weapons and Molotov cocktails and, for some of them, participation in a criminal group. In 2011 the charges against most of the defendants were dropped and only four people remained charged.