New Zealand COVID-19 protests turn violent

Copying Canada’s recent Freedom Convoy, hundreds of protesters remain encamped in Wellington, New Zealand, for the third week in a row. They are protesting the country’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for teachers, healthcare workers, and public service employees. Police have largely avoided confronting the protesters, except to blare Barry Manilow and James Blunt music to try to disperse crowds, some of which responded with their own music. Demonstrators have pitched tents throughout the city, parked to block roads, and set up communal kitchens and toilets.

What are authorities doing? Protesters reacted violently when police began to install concrete barriers on Monday to restrict travel and access to the larger protest sites. Some threw feces at officers on Monday, and one motorist tried to plow through a police line on Tuesday. Three officers were sprayed with an unknown “stinging” substance. The chief human rights commissioner said Wednesday that he has started a conciliatory process to deescalate the situation, and Wellington’s mayor has met twice with protesters. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the protests a disgrace.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Jill Nelson’s report about how different countries, including New Zealand, approached COVID-19 restrictions.