No arrests after crowd 'generally well behaved' at Wellington protest

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Tino rangatiratanga flags flew as crowds gathered in Wellington's Civic Square for a protest march to Parliament organised by Brian Tamaki’s Freedom & Rights Coalition. (First published December 16, 2021.)

There were no arrests at the large protest organised by Brian Tamaki’s Freedom & Rights Coalition held on Thursday in Wellington, with police stating the group was “generally well behaved”.

Police will now complete a review phase over the next week to determine if any follow-up action is required, a spokesperson said.

Organisers of the event, which saw more than a thousand people march from Civic Square to Parliament, called for a peaceful protest against vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions.

A small minority carried signs calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, made references to Nazi Germany, and showed images of the Christchurch mosque terrorist, alongside a picture of Ardern.

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Police entered the crowd to pull a person out after a medical emergency.

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A convoy of about 60 motorcycles travelled through central Wellington.

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Protesters marched from Civic Square to Parliament.

A man scaled to the first floor of the Beehive building.

Protesters travelled from Civic Square along Willis St and up Lambton Quay, led by a contingent of about 60 motorcyclists.

Motorcyclists started the march on Willis St.

When arriving at Parliament, some motorcyclists performed burnouts at the intersection of Bowen St and Lambton Quay, before being moved on by police.

Rain fell and continued for most of the event on Parliament grounds, which was monitored by a large police presence.

Police said the crowd was generally well behaved.

Several speeches were made, including from Tamaki’s daughter Jamie Warren. The crowd was told Tamaki couldn’t attend or he would be arrested, as he is on bail for breaching Covid-19 restrictions at similar previous events in Auckland.

The large crowd protested against vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions.

A man climbed onto the roof of the first floor, beneath the Beehive, but climbed down soon after and rejoined the crowd.

Paramedics treated two people, a man and a woman, both of whom suffered medical events and were taken away in ambulances.

In a statement on Thursday morning, the Freedom & Rights Coalition said New Zealand’s political system no longer served the people and needed total reform.

“Parliament are obviously getting the message loud and clear, and they’ve adjourned sitting in parliamentary chambers early as they take the time to pack up their offices today.”

Parliament was always scheduled to wind up on Wednesday – as it does at the same time each year.

Tamaki previously predicted 50,000 would attend the protest.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean estimated the crowd to be about 1500 to 2000 people.

It’s understood groups from around the North Island, including from Auckland, travelled to the capital city to attend the protest.

Some heading out of town after the event may have run into significant traffic delays after a slip north of Pukerua Bay on State Highway 59 – the old State Highway 1 – blocked the road both ways for several hours.

Last month, another large protest, attended by an estimated 5000 people, marched through the central city. No arrests were made in what police described as a “largely peaceful” protest.

Some government departments warned their staff to stay safe in Wellington on Thursday or work from home if necessary.

Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said additional security measures were put in place for the event.