New Zealand Protesters Are Copying Canada With Their Own Trucker 'Freedom Convoy'
They sound a lot like the people in Ottawa.
The world has been watching Canada's so-called "Freedom Convoy" against vaccine mandates and lockdowns this month, and some people have been taking notes.
Anti-vaccine, anti-mask and anti-lockdown activists in New Zealand are following in the footsteps of the trucker convoy in Canada with their own anti-government protest that they're calling "Convoy 2022 NZ."
The convoy seems to have come together through Facebook before rolling up to New Zealand's parliament in Wellington over the weekend, reports The Spinoff.
More footage from Wellingtonpic.twitter.com/tKq4KivDBZ— 521 Phil (@521 Phil) 1644271905
They've been camped out there for days now, and their demands are similar to the ones being made in Ottawa.
Three of the protesters were arrested this week for trying to breach the gates of parliament, the New Zealand Herald reports. Police responded by setting up a defensive line in front of the building.
The group says on Facebook that its mission is "saving New Zealand for the next generation!"
"We are fighting for New Zealand's freedom. This is not for political gain," one poster for the group reads. "We want to do this peacefully to show the world… We Are United!”
New Zealand was quick to shut its borders in the early days of the pandemic, and it used lockdowns and a high vaccination rate to crush the virus for most of last year, The Guardian reports. Its daily case count never got higher than 222 last year, according to the paper.
But some citizens seem to have had it with the vaccine mandates, and this week thousands of them flooded the streets around parliament to protest various COVID-19 measures, reports Yahoo News.
They are apparently protesting for more "freedom" and also want to dismantle the mask mandates that apply to children over the age of 8 in classrooms and in stores.
A video posted to Instagram by a person who appears to have attended the convoy shows hundreds of people out on the streets carrying flags, holding protest signs, setting up tents and listening to music near parliament.
The video caption reads, "Hand Off Our Children."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has chosen not to speak with the group so far.
The PM has promised not to impose any more lockdowns in recent weeks now that the vaccination rate is climbing. As of February 8, 94% of New Zealand's population aged 12 and older is fully vaccinated.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.