<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71128096/tpp-protest-could-turn-confrontational-us-citizens-told" class="">http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71128096/tpp-protest-could-turn-confrontational-us-citizens-told</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><h1 style="padding: 0px; margin: -2px 0px 10px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 32px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">TPP protest could turn 'confrontational' US citizens told</h1><h2 style="padding: 0px; margin: 5px 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""></h2><div class="story__byline-wrapper__social story__byline-wrapper cf" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; height: 4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="social--desktop social" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; height: 51px;"><div class="social__bar-container" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div class="u-f-left story__byline-block social__story-content" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0.5rem 0px 0px; float: left !important; position: relative; z-index: 102 !important;"><div style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; line-height: 18px; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(128, 128, 128);" class=""><span itemprop="name" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="">STACEY KIRK</span></div><div style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.2rem; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(128, 128, 128);" class=""><span itemprop="datePublished" content="Fri Aug 14 05:14:06 UTC 2015" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="">Last updated 17:14, August 14 2015</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The United States is warning its citizens in Auckland that a TPP protest planned for Saturday could turn ugly, and they should stay away. </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">In an email, the US Consulate General in Auckland urged any US citizens to avoid the march as "even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational."</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"We remind citizens to always exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations." </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Up to 8000 protesters are expected to gather on Auckland's Queen St, to march against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The 12-nation agreement is in the final throes of negotiation, but has been controversial due to the level of secrecy surrounding it. </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The US State Department email also mentions the risk of a terror threat ay any large gatherings. </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The US in particular has been on edge in recent days after the names of more than 1400 military men and women, including one Auckland man, was published by terrorist group ISIS.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The information was accompanied with a terrifying call-to-arms for homegrown terrorists to attack them.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">It's understood the email warning is a matter of procedure, carried out by US State Officials for large-scale events in any country.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Similar warnings have been issued in the past; in 2014, three separate Auckland rallies for Palestine prompted calls to avoid the area, even though there was "no specific threat" to US nationals.</p><div class=""><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The entire election campaign period in Haiti this year, has sparked warnings for US locals. </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Green Party national intelligence and security spokesman Russel Norman said US consular staff needed to "relax". </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"This is democracy in action and it's not Ferguson. The police won't be shooting people, it's not scary. </p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"They should just come along and they might learn something."</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Norman said it was unlikely the warning had anything to do with bargaining positions on the TPP.</p></div><div class="story_body_advert display-ad" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div id="storybody" class="mbl" style="padding: 0px; margin: 20px 60px 20px 0px; width: 300px; text-align: center; float: left;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/6674/onl.stuff.national/politics_2__container__" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0pt none;" class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></body></html>