Baptism of fire: The police operation that ended the occupation of Parliament
Wednesday, 2 March 2022
The unprecedented scenes in front of Parliament on Wednesday will go down in history. Blair Ensor and Sam Sherwood report on the violent end to a protest that brought central Wellington to a standstill.
On Monday, 76 new police officers graduated several days early from the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua, in a ceremony attended by Police Commissioner Andy Coster and Police Minister Poto Williams.
The new recruits were needed for an urgent assignment and received specialist training in how to deal with civil unrest.
Their assignment? Before dawn on Wednesday morning, they joined hundreds of officers, many of whom had been flown in from around the country, in one of the country’s biggest police operations in recent history.
Their mission: to dismantle the protest on the grounds of Parliament.
**READ MORE:
* Occupation day 23: Fires erupt at Parliament grounds as police evict protesters
* Violent scrum of protesters pushes police, bends riot shields
* How police have ended other long-term protest occupations
**
The operation had been days in the making, and appeared better organised than previous incursions.
A police helicopter had been flown in from Auckland, and police reinforcements, including armed offenders’ squad and special tactics group members, made their move.
The protesters, whose numbers had at times totalled in the low thousands, were upset about a myriad of things, not least the Government’s decision to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations. Among them were gang members, conspiracy theorists, and others peddling misinformation.
They’d occupied the grounds of Parliament since February 6, causing major disruption to parts of central Wellington.
As the days turned to weeks, the number of protesters dwindled, but those who remained were steadfast in their resolve.
Police copped criticism for their handling of the occupation and there were calls for Coster to resign because of his emphasis on de-escalation. Some asked why more hadn’t been done to end the protest when it was in its infancy.
But by Tuesday, day 22 of the occupation, there were signs police had lost patience.
The number of officers in the city began to swell. The mood began to change.
As night fell on Tuesday, talk swept through those occupying the grounds about a possible “dawn raid” to clear at least part of the camp. Their fears were well founded.
In the darkness before dawn on Wednesday, as a light drizzle fell, the police began their advance.
They began by shaking tents, dismantling those that weren’t occupied. Protesters sounded the alarm by shouting, whistling, and honking vehicle horns. They massed to resist the police assault.
Some protesters armed themselves with plywood shields and makeshift weapons, including pitchforks and fire extinguishers. A trip line was reportedly installed to try and disrupt advancing police, while a laser was pointed at the helicopter.
The protesters lobbed projectiles filled with paint at the officers and sprayed them with fire extinguishers.
Officers used pepper spray in response. Some protesters were ready, wearing swimming goggles and ski masks. But others tried to wash out their eyes with milk.
By about 10am, vehicles were being lifted onto trucks and driven away.
Police spent the morning concentrating on the outskirts of the occupation, clearing tents from the area outside the High Court and removing the food tents and other amenities from Molesworth Street – the amenities that had enabled the occupation to become so entrenched.
The area around Parliament began to look noticeably clearer.
During a midday press conference, Coster said police had tried to “de-escalate” the occupation at Parliament. But discussions with leaders at the site had reached a standstill and the mix of people involved with the protest had changed for the worse.
Asked how long the operation would continue, the commissioner said: “Until the job is done.”
For almost three hours, an uneasy stand-off persisted. Police had taken back the upper area of Parliament grounds, by Hill Street, but they largely waited to see if, with one last chance, the protesters would finally leave.
Shortly before 3pm, when it was clear they would not, the police set upon the main occupation site.
Hundreds of heavily protected officers advanced down the grounds of Parliament. A forward guard of officers in full riot gear – helmets, shields, batons – formed a line and pushed the protesters back.
Officers following behind them ripped up tents and tore down gazebos. They flung mattresses and plastic chairs and the other detritus of the occupation into huge heaps.
They made steady progress, pushing the protesters back – but not without violent clashes. Protesters pelted officers with road cones, shelving units and bottles, and sprayed them with fire extinguishers.
After three weeks in which the occupation appeared to become only more entrenched, it was razed in barely more than an hour.
Still, the clashes grew more and more fierce.
As the police pushed protesters back to the path leading up to the Richard Seddon statue, things took a turn for the worse. Protesters began setting fire to tents and other gear, and threw gas bottles onto the heaps.
Loud bangs ricocheted off Parliament Buildings – where the House was in session, discussing biosecurity and unit titles – and the air filled with plumes of acrid black smoke. There were even fires set around the playground.
The police helicopter buzzed overhead.
As more of the remaining tents were set alight, some protesters hurriedly began packing up their gear and leaving, realising that their belongings would either be ripped up or set ablaze. Those who stayed to fight found themselves pushing in vain against an advancing police guard.
By 5pm, Parliament grounds largely cleared, but the hard core of protesters were not done. As the line of riot police forced them out the one remaining open gate, on Lambton Quay, forcing the wrought iron bars shut, the protesters gave it everything they had: plates, signs, tables, and eventually paving stones ripped up from the ground – they were all lobbed at the police.
Inside the Beehive, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was preparing to speak. By then, police had made 65 arrests for offences including trespass, wilful damage, and possession of restricted weapons.
“To our frontline police and emergency and fire services, you have our deep admiration and our thanks,” she said. “You have been calm but resolute in trying to bring this occupation to a conclusion. It has come at great risk to your personal safety. Thank you for putting others before yourselves.”
Outside, the protesters’ actions began to look more and more like a riot. Several officers were carried off with injuries.
As dusk approached, the occupation was largely over.
But the beliefs that led the protesters to take over Parliament grounds will be much harder to unravel. As Ardern said: “Today the police will restore order and tomorrow your government will work hard to get us safely back to the normality everyone deserves.”