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WELLINGTON – Police and anti-vaccine protesters clashed on the grounds of New Zealand’s Parliament Thursday, with more than 120 arrested after demonstrators who camped outside the legislature for three days were ordered to move on.
Activists chanted the Maori haka and yelled “hold the line”, as they scuffled with a phalanx of officers moving to clear a makeshift settlement on the lawns of Parliament.
Officers used pepper spray on a number of protesters who dragged two of their colleagues into the crowd, but only minor injuries were reported.
Police moved in early today after taking a hands-off approach to the first two days of protests, warning the crowd to leave or face arrest.
They were punched and kicked amid cries of “this is not democracy”, “shame on you”, and “drop the mandate”.
The protest began Tuesday as a copycat of a “Freedom Convoy” action by Canadian truckers, with hundreds of semi-trailers and campervans jamming streets in central Wellington.
Many of the vehicles left after 24 hours but a hard core of several hundred activists remained, vowing to stay “as long as it takes”.
Wellington City Council, which also took a low-key approach in the protest’s early stages, said its parking officers had started issuing tickets to convoy vehicles blocking city streets.
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said patience had worn thin among Wellington residents at the disruption, urging police to act.
“Roads are blocked in the city, businesses have had to shut, people felt threatened and intimidated by some of the protesters,” he told Radio New Zealand prior to the police operation. – AFP, February 10, 2022