Waatea News Column: A protest at Parliament without mana

ByMartyn Bradbury

Threats of violence and abuse made by protestors at Parliament are not acceptable.

While everyone has the right to protest in a liberal progressive democracy, threatening and abusing people is illegal and no way to advance your argument in a democracy.

Protestors attempt to break through Police lines on Wednesday last week to disrupt Parliament are unacceptable to all citizens in this democracy.

All that said, these angry, frightened protestors have a right to protest, the yoke of mandates has hit this group hardest and they have every right in a democracy to articulate their pain directly to the Politicians who have passed these rules.

I do not agree with these protestors that the Government’s response to Covid has been the great civil rights threat they claim. We have had to embark upon these restrictions to protect everyone, and we collectively wish this pandemic was over so that these sanctions can be removed because none of us want to see our fellow Kiwi suffering needlessly.

What has been most alarming is the childish pranks of the Speaker of the House whose decision to clear the lawn on Thursday caused enormous backlash that has seen the protest swell to 5 times its original size.

Spraying water and playing loud music are the tactics of a spoilt child, not the Parliamentary Speaker of the House.

Mallard’s antics have made a serious situation more dire.

We urgently need MPs with mana to go down and hear the protestors’ concerns on the agreement that protestors go home.

We urgently need to de-escalate this anger so that there is no more use of police force.

We need the adults to come back and deal with this.

First published on Waatea News.

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44 Comments

  1. The moment tents came out should have been the same moment the protestors were moved on.

    We’ve all had parking tickets and some have even had our cars towed for relatively minor infringements. These protestors have blatantly and very deliberately parked wherever they felt like it causing considerable issues to the locals including businesses’ that have struggled during the pandemic. No regard has been displayed toward them and other locals by the protestors. They’ve taken the piss and undermined our law and order in NZ. Toothless authorities have stood back and watched this all unfold which only empowers the protestors.

    There can be no doubt that the protest will become a super spreader event in coming weeks. Unvaccinated people wearing no face masks and rubbing shoulders with each other 24/7. We will all pay a price for this.

    Spot the difference.

    A lady travels from another country to urgently spend time with their dying parent before they pass away. In our society, this is a key moment in life. The lady is fully vaccinated and has multiple negative test results but the nameless and faceless bureaucracy involved display contempt and indifference toward her plight. They spout off the risk is too high.

    Wellington protestors are clearly anti-vax and anti face masks. They are in close proximately to each other. They potentially pose significant risk to anyone they come into contact with. This will undoubtedly become a super spreader event with all the implications that come with that……yet it goes on day after day after day exactly as if it’s no risk to others.

    Have any of the protestors thought about all the sacrifices so many New Zealanders have made and the high price so many of us have paid for the greater good? Do they realize their selfish actions are pissing all over those sacrifices? Do they give a shit?….yet they want those same people they don’t give a shit about to give a shit about them. Good luck with that.

    As an aside. We all know there is a mandate for wearing facemasks. We also know there are exemptions for wearing those masks but are you aware that you can obtain an exemption via the most tenuous of reasons that are virtually impossible to prove or disprove? Are you also aware that legally you don’t have to carry an exemption with you? The person just has to say they have an exemption. What a fucking joke. Then the authorities wonder why so many people are taking the piss. Hello! Sounds like the PM’s dilemma with the housing crisis. She wants housing to be more affordable……but doesn’t want house prices to drop. She wants to go for a swim….but doesn’t want to get wet. How do we fix issues with these types of dynamics in play?

        3. Kevin,

          Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

    1. What I find amazing is that in this day and age of everybody having a mobile phone and being surrounded by security camera’s that none of these apparent incidents has been captured on camera, resulted in a police complaint laid and primarily have occurred to a friend or acquaintance.

      We are being told the participants are right-wing racists and nazi’s however after looking at a number of photos and videos of the protest to date the evidence doesn’t match the rhetoric. Even if you look at the so-called Swastika that was painted onto the statue of Seddon’s plinth was, it was quite clearly a Hindu Swastik (indicated by the circles between each of the Swastik’s arms) which in the Hindu faith represents Good Luck, Good Fortune and/or Being Happy.

      Instead what Wellington is dealing with is a genuine protest by ordinary, everyday New Zealanders who disagree with the policies of this government. The Government are reaping the results of the diverse seeds they have sown since coming to power. If you think otherwise take a look at the following links and form your own opinion.
      Taken from Twitter – #NZPOL
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLnVFfCVUAAFxQn?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmn6VkUUAcPU4c?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLnU822UYAI2Dqs?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmnApSVgAMgTFe?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLnWNWCVgAEvPkt?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmlS4oVUAIGKZJ?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmlKOwVEAAzev6?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmkw8tVgAgplB2?format=png&name=small
      https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLmU0LIVIAESruC?format=png&name=small

      Youtube
      https://youtu.be/0r3-XpWlf-Q?t=9172
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKu1XA1FX08
      https://twitter.com/NZ_Inquisition/status/1493653837822971905/photo/1

      I just hope that if the Government have the Police clear the protesters that they are fully prepared the deal with the amount of violence that will likely need to be used and back the officers who have to carry out their orders and not do a Helen Clarke and let the men and woman at the cold front take the fall.

  3. Well the anti vax crybabies in Picton have broken their promise to leave Nelson Square by 5pm today. Several businesses have closed their doors, unable to handle the abuse from the freedumbers.
    It’s a sad irony that after living with COVID restrictions the influx of low lives has been the last straw.

    The police haven’t been seen in town for days. At least they arrested that Arp nazi when he arrived. The freedumbers had group photo to “show solidarity” with him this morning.

  4. The lot of those protesters including the Maori I have seen have no mana, of no consequence. The protesters are gutless and cowardly, like the ISIS placing children among the crowd and sleeping in their vehicles. The Police and Army would not engage physically with protesters if children are present and the protesters know that. Suggest the Army and Police bring in hundreds of staff and remove the cars in the middle of the streets blocking traffic. Then force the few left behind out of parliament grounds. Not many options for police with 10 equivalent roads surrounding “battle site”.

    1. “The lot of those protesters including the Maori I have seen have no mana, of no consequence. The protesters are gutless and cowardly”
      …of no consequence ? wow, a big call but i guess u would know.

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