Wellington Nov 9 (BNA): New Zealand beefed up security in Parliament on Tuesday as thousands gathered to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government shutdowns aimed at controlling the pandemic.
All but the entrances to Parliament House, known as the Beehive, were closed in an unprecedented security measure, as unmasked protesters marched through central Wellington and gathered outside Parliament.
While the demonstration was peaceful, many people were seen carrying banners with messages such as “Freedom” and “Kiwis are not lab rats” and chanting slogans calling for the government to back down on compulsory vaccination and lift restrictions, according to Reuters.
Banners showing support for former US President Donald Trump and criticizing the media as “fake” and false were also displayed.
One protester outside Parliament said: “I will not be forced or forced to take something that I do not want in my body.”
“I ask (the government) to give us back 2018. It’s that simple. I want my freedom back.”
New Zealand has struggled to battle an outbreak of the highly contagious delta virus this year, forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to shift from her strategy of getting rid of through lockdown to living with the virus with higher vaccines.
Ardern said last month that the country would require teachers, health and disability workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, prompting criticism from people calling for more freedoms and an end to mandatory vaccine requirements.
“Treat us like people!” Another protester chanted when asked about the government’s position on commissioning the vaccine.
“I’m here for freedom. The government, what they do, is against freedom.”
“What we saw today was not representative of the majority of New Zealanders,” Ardern told reporters in Parliament.
But the prime minister is facing mounting political pressure and public protests to ease pandemic measures ahead of the Christmas holidays.
She plans to travel to Auckland on Wednesday when the city’s nearly three-month lockdown will ease. She is expected to face more protests during her visit.
New Zealand remains among the lowest cases of COVID-19 in the world with less than 8,000 cases reported so far and 32 deaths. It reported 125 new cases on Tuesday and the total double-dose vaccination rate has reached nearly 80% of its eligible population.
HF