Emeute à Dunedin en Nouvelle Zélande – septembre 2009
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAx5MXnD59g]
Undie 500 unrest prompts riot fears
Saturday, September 12, 2009 »
Dunedin police were forced to don riot gear and use pepper spray to disperse student mobs during overnight partying after the controversial Undie 500 rally.
About 20 were arrested after more than 600 people pelted officers with bottles, bricks and bicycle parts in the student stronghold of North Dunedin.
The 70 officers took about two hours to disperse the students.
The annual Undie 500 event, organised by Canterbury University engineering students, involves a pub crawl from Christchurch to Dunedin, in cars worth under $NZ500 ($A410).
The event has previously caused headaches for Dunedin police left to control riotous behaviour at the end of the trip.
Last year’s official Undie 500 was cancelled after rioting in the city resulted in 69 arrests the previous year.
However, an unofficial version of the event still ran and 30 arrests were made after another round of disorder.
Most of last night’s action centred in the three blocks around Castle Street, with mobs setting furniture and piles of rubbish on fire in Castle and Leith streets, Dunedin Area Commander Inspector Dave Campbell said.
One officer was hit in the head and knocked down with a hurled bottle, and would have been seriously injured if not for his helmet, he said.
Flying bottles hit two or three other people, who had to be taken away by ambulance for treatment.
Mr Campbell said there would be a boosted police presence this weekend and anyone arrested would gain a criminal record, due to a no-diversion policy.
‘We’re encouraging those involved to enjoy themselves within the bounds of the law,’ he said.
Most of those arrested were Otago University students, Mr Campbell said.
They faced a variety of charges, ranging from disorderly behaviour and breaching the liquor ban to wilfully setting fire to property.
The officer in charge of the police response, Inspector Alistair Dickie, said they had chosen to take a softer approach this year and were relatively pleased with how things turned out last night.
‘We are happy we have been able to stabilise the crowd without exerting our authority too much,’ he told the Otago Daily Times.
‘We could have sparked something here. We are pleased at the moment. Hopefully, I don’t eat my words.
Dunedin in recovery after Undie mayhem
Sunday September 13, 2009
Dunedin is on Sunday putting itself back together after a second night of student riots at the Undie 500 rally.
Police had to use pepper spray to control students on Saturday night.
The number of arrests in is now put at between 50 and 60 and police say with many students challenging their line, they had to call in extra help as well as send for more pepper spray.
« We’ve got more staff tonight (Saturday night) in the processing unit so a lot more being locked up, » says Inspector Alistair Dickie of Dunedin Police.
The courts will be dealing with about eight people accused of liquor ban breaches, disorderly behaviour and setting fire to property at the end of the week.
Police say the trouble started just after midnight and again involved up to 600 people. The chaos went on for a couple of hours.
Police say while they had to deal with students in the rally, there was a lot of obstruction from students living in the surrounding houses.
NZ riot police arrest drunk students
13 septembre 2009
A second night of drunken disorder has rocked Dunedin in New Zealand following the arrival of the annual Undie 500 car rally in the city.
Police in riot gear were forced to use pepper spray to subdue and disperse the crowds with students lighting fires and pelting police with bottles.
Between 50 and 60 people were arrested last night, on top of 20 taken into custody on Friday night, the highest number of arrests in recent years.
The event is organised by Canterbury University engineering students and involves a pub crawl from Christchurch to Dunedin in cars worth under $500.
Cities blame each other for undies riots
Sunday Sep 13, 2009
By Kieran Nash
Dunedin’s Mayor says he’s powerless to stop the annual Undie 500 university event, despite it erupting into more violence and arrests this weekend.
More than 20 people were arrested after fires were lit and riot police were pelted with bottles, bricks and bicycle parts around the Castle St area on Friday night. One police officer was knocked down by a flying bottle while other people were taken to hospital with injuries.
Seventy officers took about two hours to disperse the students, using riot gear.
The annual Undie 500 event, organised by Canterbury University engineering students, involves a pub crawl from Christchurch to Dunedin, in cars worth less than $500. This is the third consecutive year the rally has led to disorder.
While peace returned to streets yesterday, recriminations were flying between Canterbury and Otago over who was to blame.
Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin said it was the Christchurch students’ fault – and that they should stuff up their own city – but police said most of those arrested were from Otago.
University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr said no Canterbury students were among those arrested and he urged them to stay out of trouble last night.
Carr warned that anyone identified by the police as being involved in illegal behaviour would face consequences, which could include exclusion from the university.
« First and foremost we expect our students to follow the laws of the land, and we support the police in taking action against any student involved in criminal behaviour. »
Inspector Andrew Burns said police were disappointed that the situation turned into a confrontation.
« When events like this happen you see alcohol-fuelled incidents happening, » he said. « It’s about taking personal responsibility for their drinking. »
Chin acknowledged there had been trouble with Undie 500 revellers in the past. « The message has been for the last two years that we don’t want it to take place. »
But he said he was powerless to stop it. « It’s Canterbury students who come here on a drunken pub crawl – I can’t stop anyone from driving from Christchurch. »
He was angry with the students’ behaviour, saying part of the problem was society’s attitude towards alcohol.
Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson said it was time to put an end to the event.
University of Canterbury Engineering Society president Carl Shrimpton said it was not the Canterbury students who were the problem, but Otago students and other hangers-on.
« A lot of people from Otago are the ones being arrested. I think there’s some ongoing issues in Dunedin that Peter Chin and the university need to address. »
Informations
Dunedin est une ville de Nouvelle-Zélande située dans la province d’Otago sur l’est de l’île du Sud. Avec 130 000 habitants, c’est la deuxième ville de cette île de par sa population.
anthropologie du présent 