The February 16 rallies backed Middleton's reactionary campaign calling for instituting longer prison sentences in the country. In Christchurch, the media reported more than 200 people joined the rally, many holding pro–death penalty placards demanding "life for life." In Auckland, some 400 people marched from the courthouse to Queen Elizabeth Square in the central city, according to the local media.

In 1989 Dally abducted Middleton's 13-year-old stepdaughter, Karla Cardno, raped and sodomized her, then buried her alive. Dally was convicted and sentenced to prison. When Dally was up for parole for the first time in 1999, Middleton threatened him, saying, "I want his life from him and that means you either keep him in for life, or I'll take his life." He went on to make numerous threats in the media calling for vigilante justice. His campaign rallied rightist forces who called for the reintroduction of the death penalty and longer sentences for those convicted of murder and other serious crimes.

Middleton previously gathered support for his reactionary campaign when he stood for parliament as an independent candidate in the 1999 general elections, advocating longer sentences for violent criminals and the return of the death penalty. He polled third with 3,376 votes. In the same election, a national referendum calling for tougher sentences for serious violent offenders and greater "victim support" won with 92 percent of those voting in favor.

The New Zealand Herald reported February 19 that Middleton and his supporters plan to run for parliament in the next elections on "law and order tickets."

Middleton declared, "My supporters are going to shake this country. We are going to give it a good shake and we are going to get some things done.... There are a whole range of issues."

The Press, in a February 7 editorial titled, "No place for rough justice," commented: "Middleton's pursuit of a vigilante solution was a dangerous breach of the rule of law." But at the same time the newspaper joined the campaign for tougher sentencing. A feature in the paper profiling "The Dirty Thirty... our worst criminals" argued, "As debate rages about New Zealand's approach to the sentencing of serious criminals, Justice Minister Phil Goff has pledged to change the law to keep murderer Paul Dally behind bars for longer before he can be considered for parole. But unless the law is made retrospective, many of the country's vilest killers and rapists, currently biding their time in jail awaiting release, will not be affected by new legislation."

It was in the climate of this political campaign that a 47-year-old man accused by police of being a pedophile was forced to flee his home in Napier at the end of January after being assaulted and told "leave within 24 hours or you'll get a bullet."

John Marsden, the police officer who headed the Cardno murder inquiry, came out publicly in support of Middleton, justifying his actions as due to grief he continues to suffer 10 years after the incident and isolating that from the reactionary political campaign he is waging.

Justice Minister Goff also expressed sympathy for Middleton, saying, "If it were my daughter I would feel exactly the same." He announced that proposals for tougher sentences will go before the cabinet shortly. Other proposed changes include not requiring the Parole Board to consider people for release every year even if they are eligible. Defending his position, Goff said, "This would reduce the trauma that those like the Cardno family endure every year."

Referring to the 1999 referendum, a February 17 editorial in the New Zealand Herald noted , "Judges have begun handing out longer minimum non-parole periods in jail." This has led to a rising number of working people behind bars, among the highest figures per capita in the world.

In a related development, Goff announced plans to introduce legislation that will enable the police to conduct DNA tests on anyone arrested for burglary and to use the evidence in court. Under current laws police can compel suspects to give samples only in serious cases involving murder, rape, and wounding. Otherwise, DNA samples can only be taken after conviction and with approval of a High Court judge.

Goff said, "You have to balance the rights of individuals, who may be suspects, with the needs of society... and acknowledge the civil liberties of the 60,000 to 70,000 families whose homes are broken into each year."

Annalucia Vermunt is a member of the Meat Workers Union in Christchurch.  
 
 
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