Following the example of Canadian truckers in Ottawa, opponents of vaccination in New Zealand have been blocking roads in front of Parliament in Wellington for days. The city has now tried to expel the demonstrators – with loud music.
With an unusual tactic, the parliamentary administration in the New Zealand capital Wellington tried on Sunday to break up a blockade by opponents of vaccination in front of the House of Representatives. Speaker of Parliament Trevor Mallard played Barry Manilow’s world hits like “Mandy” and “Could It Be Magic” as well as the 1990s catchy tune “Macarena” by the band Los del Río on a continuous loop. The songs were interrupted by calls for vaccination against the corona virus.
The protesters, angered by New Zealand’s coronavirus vaccination requirement, responded with boos and songs like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” which they blared through their own speakers. as reported by Radio New Zealand (RNZ)..
Attack with sprinkler system was unsuccessful
The protests began Tuesday last week when a convoy of vehicles drove to Parliament. Inspired by the so-called Freedom Convoy of Canadian truckers in Ottawa, the participants dubbed themselves the “Convoy for Freedom”, blocked city streets and camped on the lawn in front of Parliament. According to the RNZ, around 3,000 people took part in the demonstration at the weekend, and some of them also had children with them.
The authorities had already tried to clear the blockade on Friday by turning on the sprinkler system on the lawn. “Nobody who’s here is here legally, and if they get wet from both the bottom and the top, they probably don’t feel as comfortable and want to go home sooner,” Mallard explained according to the British newspaper “I News” the action. But protesters fought back by digging ditches and building makeshift drainage pipes to divert the water. The President of Parliament then started the attack with music.
The music attack also came to the ears of musician James Blunt, who showed a sense of self-mockery and offered his help to the New Zealand police: “Contact me if this doesn’t work @NZPolice,” the Brit tweeted. Mallard also showed humor, responding via Twitter: “We will take up your very kind offer” and jokingly asked if that was “fair” to the police officers. “I think they’ll be fine with that,” he added.
Only a little later, Blunt’s biggest hit “You’re Beautiful” sounded from the loudspeakers of the authorities. But that only spurred on the protesters, who began singing and swaying along to the song, I News reports.
“These are certainly not tactics or methods that we would condone and we would have preferred to see it not come to that,” Police Chief Corrie Parnell told Radio New Zealand on Monday .
The opposition also criticized the music attack: “Mallard’s antics are not only immature, they are not only ineffective, they have made a serious situation much worse,” said the leader of the opposition ACT party, David Seymour. “His petty behavior only encouraged the protesters even more.”
New Zealand relies on strict rules in the fight against Corona
Police Chief Parnell called on protesters to remove their vehicles that have been blocking the streets for the past week. He also defended the police’s reluctance to clear the camp as recently as Thursday, leading to violent clashes, the use of pepper spray and more than 120 arrests. Arrests are not the solution, Parnell now said and called for serious negotiations with the demonstrators.
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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, on the other hand, again urged the protesters on Monday to “go home and take your children with you”. She criticized that the opponents of vaccination insulted people who wore masks. The demonstrators also “demanded the execution of politicians,” said Ardern.
“What I saw on the forecourt does not indicate to me that this is a group interested in developing politics,” RNZ quoted the Prime Minister as saying. “There are signs down there calling for politicians to be killed.”
New Zealanders have been living under strict restrictions to contain the coronavirus for almost two years. In the country, for example, vaccination is compulsory for employees in the healthcare and education sectors, as well as in the army and law enforcement agencies. People who do not want to be vaccinated face termination. New Zealanders must also show proof of vaccination to eat out in restaurants or to take part in sporting events and church services.
The restrictions, lockdowns and an international border closure have helped keep the number of infections and deaths in New Zealand very low. But the duration of many measures leads to growing resentment among the population. As a result, protests have increased in recent months.
Sources: Radio New Zealand, “I News”, BBC, CNN, James Blunt on Twitter