New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she believed the demonstrations against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, now in their second week, were an “import” phenomenon, unlike anything she had seen in the country before. Things are different.

Hundreds of protesters occupied the lawn in front of the unique “beehive” parliament for the seventh day in a row, ignoring repeated police calls to leave, and the heavy rain over the weekend was impeccable.

Protesters, taking inspiration from the forced demonstrations against vaccines by Canadian truckers, also blocked several streets around parliament with trucks, vans and motorcycles.

“It felt like an alien protest to me,” Ardern told national broadcaster TVNZ.

“I saw a Trump flag in the front yard, I saw a Canadian flag in the front yard,” she said, referring to photos of former U.S. President Donald Trump carried by some demonstrators and the situation in Canada .

Ardern said protesters did not appear interested in dialogue.

“When you see signs of calling for the execution of politicians who are not groups that really want to be involved in the political conversation,” Ardern said.

The protests started against vaccine mandates, but have now been joined by groups calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions, denial of vaccinations and a call for attention to other social issues such as censorship and the rights of the Māori community. At the height of the protests, it was estimated that thousands of demonstrators were involved.

Many brought their children to the protest, which Ardern said was worrying.

Police said officers would continue to be highly visible in and around the council grounds to provide reassurance to all.

As a country of 5 million people, New Zealand has the lowest number of COVID-19 in the world, largely due to strict coronavirus border restrictions and social restrictions.

However, daily cases of the Omicron variant have been rising, approaching 1,000 on Monday, as some domestic restrictions were eased this month.

However, the country’s borders remain closed, with tens of thousands of expat Kiwis isolated from their families.

On Monday, the High Court began hearing a lawsuit against the government by a group representing expat New Zealanders alleging the state unlawfully deprived citizens of their right to enter New Zealand.

Complete News Source : Business Standard