Occupation day 17: Police warn anyone planning to join Parliament occupation at weekend to think again
Thursday, 24 February 2022
Police are warning anyone planning to travel to Wellington to join the anti-mandate occupation at Parliament this weekend to think again.
“While the vast majority of Wellington is open for business and functioning relatively normally, the protest activity around Parliament grounds is unwelcome and having an unreasonably negative impact on residents, workers and students,” said Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers in a statement.
The deteriorating sanitary conditions and the confirmation of Covid-19 at the site meant it was no longer a safe environment for families and children, the police statement said.
“The protest area is not safe for families, and it is still far from being operated lawfully. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any unlawful activity that is reported to us,' Chambers said.
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On Thursday, police continued to reinforce the perimeter of the occupation at Parliament with concrete bollards in an operation involving 170 staff. They were met, as they have been throughout the protest, by lines of occupiers.
On Wednesday night, twenty protest vehicles were able to enter through a police checkpoint into the occupation site after a group of protesters moved a concrete block on Wednesday night.
The incident at the intersection of Lambton Quay and Bowen St about 9pm was one of a series on Wednesday that police said made them “concerned at the level of aggressive behaviour.”
Videos circulating online of the incident showed about two dozen police officers running towards the scene and forming a human chain to stop vehicles entering and at least one person being arrested.
Late on Wednesday night, protesters and officers with shields also faced off on Hill St. Police said it was disappointing protesters on Hill St had armed themselves with makeshift shields made of plywood and rope and that their presence at the checkpoint was to manage the cordon.
A Stuff reporter at the scene on Hill St said a small tussle broke out among a few protesters over some who appeared intent on nearing the police line.
Police said they had seen a significant decrease in the number of vehicles and people at the occupation site with about 300 vehicles remaining within the enclosed precinct.
“The number of protesters fluctuates between 150-300 at different times of the day. About 300 vehicles remained inside the cordoned area overnight, down significantly from last weekend,” police said.
“Movements to shrink the protest footprint will continue in the coming days as our focus remains on returning the city back to normal as quickly as possible,” Chambers said.
Also, at about 4pm on Wednesday, a group of 10-15 protesters were verbally trespassed by police after entering Pipitea Marae and demanded police and Māori wardens vacate immediately.
As the number of occupiers recedes, supporters in Picton – many of whom have been unable to get to Wellington on commercial ferry services because they don’t have vaccine passes – hope to bolster the crowd by bringing more people on private boats. Some have apparently already made the journey.
It comes as the entire protest site was named as a high risk location of interest. On Wednesday, the first Covid-19 cases were detected among protesters.
The identification as a location of interest by health officials potentially affects hundreds who visited the site over the weekend.