PAM has sought to stop the road closures, using a judicial review.
"These are not the kinds of actions we would expect in our free and democratic country. They are particularly offensive because they are being done to protect weapons manufacturers and dealers from lawful protest action," Hirst said.
Closing roads is unnecessary action, Watson said. He's disappointed the forum will be held in a council venue. In Wellington, a non-council venue had to be found.
The Auckland blockade mostly consisted of sitting, he said, and it stopped some "arms industry types in suits" from getting into the venue.
Watson and other Whanganui people will march in Palmerston North, and he imagines some will stay outside the venue afterward, as a presence.
PAM has planned a range of peace events around the forum. There's an exhibition, a carnival, a reading, a free film and a talk by journalist Nicky Hager and activist Valerie Morse.
The march starts at the city's square at noon, and Quakers are bringing their lunches for a Peace Picnic outside the arena at 1pm.
On November 1, peace groups plan "decentralised non-violent direct action" around the venue, leading up to Defence Minister Ron Mark's speech at the 7pm awards ceremony. The action will possibly be another blockade, and people could be arrested.
War was wrong on two fronts, Watson said.
"On the one hand there's the horror, pain and destruction of modern warfare, which increasingly has civilian deaths rather than military. Ninety per cent of the casualties are civilians who have no choice."
It was also an utter waste of resources, he said, at a time when there was so much need in the world.
