New Zealand Showed Canada How It Handles 'Freedom Convoy' Protesters With Over 100 Arrests
The anti-lockdown protesters were following Canada's lead.
The streets of Wellington, New Zealand were looking a lot like Ottawa earlier this week, after a "Freedom Convoy" camped outside the country's Parliament to protest vaccine mandates and lockdowns.
But New Zealand has not been as lenient as Canada with the convoy.
Police arrested at least 120 protesters outside Parliament on Thursday, while trying to forcefully remove hundreds more from the area around the building, per Reuters. The group is reportedly much smaller after the arrests.
The protesters showed up earlier this week in a convoy inspired by the one that is currently camped outside of Canada's Parliament. Their issues are also the same: to fight against vaccine, mask and lockdown policies meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Around 120 people were arrested in Wellington, New Zealand, for taking part in an anti-vaccination protest on Thursday.\n\nThe demonstration was inspired by the trucker protest in Canada, with demonstrators pitching their tents outside Parliament.pic.twitter.com/FSMFu1x2Pi— I Refuse \ud83c\udf38 \ud83d\udec5 (@I Refuse \ud83c\udf38 \ud83d\udec5) 1644489173
The New Zealand Police urged protesters to "leave Parliament Grounds peacefully" before they moved in, in a statement issued Thursday afternoon.
The statement said: “We continue to acknowledge people’s rights to protest, however, those who behave unlawfully will face arrest.”
Police warned that the area was closed to the public, and when demonstrators didn't budge they moved in and arrested 122 people for trespassing and obstruction.
The police also posted updates on their Twitter, announcing that their crackdown was successful and “the number of protesters at the grounds has reduced significantly.”
A total of 122 people have been arrested today as Police continue to enforce a trespass order at Parliament grounds.\n\nThe number of protesters at the grounds has reduced significantly, and Police will maintain a presence overnight.— New Zealand Police (@New Zealand Police) 1644487976
New Zealand has gotten a lot of attention for how it has handled the pandemic so far.
About 95% of New Zealand's population over the age of 12 that is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine is has received two doses, and the country kept numbers down last year by closing its borders and imposing strict lockdown rules.
New Zealand had a record low number of cases and only recorded 53 deaths from a population of about 5 million people.