WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – The Prime Minister of New Zealand on Monday said protesters protesting against coronavirus powers had used “threats and harassment”, as authorities appeared to take a tougher stance against the coronavirus. with a group of protesters that have disrupted the capital Wellington for nearly a week. .
Police initially let the protesters pitch tents and camp on the grounds of New Zealand’s Parliament before arresting 122 people on Thursday and then backing down again. The size of the protest shrank to a few hundred people last week but had grown to about 3,000 by the weekend.
Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern signaled the dwindling patience of the authorities.
“I have very clearly taken a stance on the protesters and the way they have conducted their protest as it has gone beyond threatening and harassing people around central Wellington,” she said. “That cannot be tolerated.”
Speaker of Congress Trevor Mallard tried to upset protesters last week by turning on a sprinkler on the lawn and playing songs by decades-old Barry Manilow and the 1990s hit “Macarena.” in a repeat loop.
Police on Monday asked protesters to remove their illegally parked vehicles as soon as possible, providing them with alternative parking at a nearby stadium.
“The people of Wellingtoni have the right to free and safe movement around the city, so keeping roads clear is a top priority,” said Wellington County Superintendent Corrie Parnell.
The protesters, who oppose coronavirus vaccine regulation and were inspired by similar demonstrations in Canada, look pretty well organized after walking in portable toilets, food donation bins and straw packages to drop down when the grass turns to mud.
Despite arrests and scuffles with police last week, dozens of tents remain on the grounds of Parliament, with cars and trucks blocking surrounding streets. Protesters lined up on Monday for a breakfast of grilled sausages and schnitzels after surviving a weekend of torrential rain.
Kacheeya Scarrow drove her truck about 380 km from Taupo town to join the camp.
“All I wanted was to lift the mandates and the freedom of choice,” she said. “I’m not against, I’m not for vax. People should have the right to choose what they want to do with their own bodies.”
Another protester, Joanna Plows, 70, said the government had usurped “the right to choose whether we would intervene medically or not.”
New Zealand has required some workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including teachers, doctors, nurses, police and military personnel. A vaccination card is required to enter most shops and restaurants.
The protests come just as New Zealand experienced its first large-scale COVID-19 outbreak, after closing its borders for much of the pandemic. The daily case count rose to a new high of nearly 1,000 on Monday, up from about 200 cases per day just five days earlier.
However, not a single patient received intensive care, thanks in part to a vaccination rate of 77% and what experts have described as the relatively less severe symptoms of the Omicron variant.
New Zealand has been spared the worst of the pandemic after it closed its borders and implemented strict lockdowns, limiting the spread of the virus. The country has reported just 53 deaths from the virus out of a population of 5 million.
Ardern said the duration of the mass camp could not have been worse.
“At a time when we see an increase in cases and an increased risk to New Zealanders’ public health and lives, they want to remove the very measures that have kept us safe. , healthy and alive,” she said.
