Quite early this morning I went down to parliament to look for myself and get a feel for the mood.
Yesterday the police spent hours pushing back the crowd mere metres only to re-lose the ground and enflame the situation with 122 arrests achieved by picking off protestors one-by-one. This morning all that battleground has been covered with marquees and across the complex, more tents have gone up. I imagine by the weekend there will be no visible lawn left.
All of the roads immediate to parliament and alongside the National Library have parked lanes of vehicles, utes, campervans, buses, rigs and a couple of food trucks. Either they all leave in unison or nobody goes - anywhere.
And I don't think they are going anywhere any time soon. It's an occupation. And it seems totally fitting to me that the citizens occupy the land surrounding the workplace of their representatives.
The mood is pleasant, chatty, convivial BUT after yesterday there is much more preparedness for further action from the police.
I left feeling sure the police won't move today. A repeat of yesterday would be utterly futile. Worse, it would attract even more people who are first and foremost looking for trouble, which those protesting the vaccine mandates aren't. They are looking for a change of heart from government.
That would be the simplest solution to this unprecedented show of resistance which will only get stronger in the coming days. Any other 'resolution' doesn't bear thinking about.
Update: They were not in view this morning but now at least two very large banners are saying "End Mandates, We Go Home." It couldn't be clearer.
10 comments:
I see a slow movement in the media to Calling it an Anti Mandate Protest, moving away from the anti vax nutter previous approach.
Thanks for that mood report.
Amused that one of the lead complainants is Bellamys! As if that wasn't simply a hospitality extension of parliament itself. The order of business, first law our parliament ever passed, was to establish this fancy cut-rate restarant/pub for themselves. Who are they kidding?
Lindsay, lucky you! I wouldn't mind being there just to get a sense of the occasion.
this is a moment in NZ history and right or wrong, its interesting, if not entertaining, to watch it unfold.
last time I was in a demonstration at Parliament was in 1971-2 when Prime Minister Keith Holyoake hosted a visiting American Government minister(cant remember who) We were there in our thousands protesting the Vietnam war. Holyoake was on the balcony waving to the crowd.
My associates and I were standing next to Dun Mihaka as he made his presence known. We were in awe of the power of his personality. He was the real deal back then when it came to Maori activism.
There were clean shaven young men with short back and sides wearing short sleeved shirts and ties walking among the protesters taking photographs. We were told they were the SIS. we all posed for our pictures to be taken.
The Good old days!!
Thanks for the inside view Lindsay. I feel relief there is finally something being done on a national level to show our displeasure to the mandates and vaccines passes. I just can't believe it took us kiwis this long. Long may this protest last.
Thanks for this post Lindsay - it has improved my day.
As has reading Rodney Hide's "I support the protest 100%" letter to David
https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/i-support-the-protest-100-percent
(thank you Rodney if you read this)
Rodney's letter is superb. It expressed everything I couldn't.
Lindsay some of my friends live in Wellington as does most of my family. I don't think they have visited the demonstration. They base their views on the accounts on red radio and TV. Their views seem strangely at variance with yours. I wonder why. I get comments like "there are food trucks there - this isn't a normal demonstration" and "they have put a row of toilets next to the law courts - how disrespectful". They think all the demonstrators are angry and abusive.
Interesting to hear Wellington Police Chief Parnell tell HDPA last evening that Wellington towies are refusing to move the vehicles blocking Molesworth and other streets around Parliament.
He said they (the towies) were receiving threats from overseas - is that plausible?
MSM and even Bob Jones are piling in on the protest. How is this different to ihumatao and shelly bay?
Such a different police response.
Thanks Lindsay, your impressions back up what my contacts are saying totally, the contrast to the managed propaganda is telling. Had family here during the weather intrusion, in fact it delayed their travel back North, they also took the opportunity to make a visit and concur. For us, declining health and advancing Years make such a "trip to MECCA" out of reach so such reassurance is valued. Thanks again and kind regards, M
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