The politicisation of NZ's covid response

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Forums › Politics › The politicisation of NZ's covid response

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#2872264 21-Feb-2022 21:52

This is a petition I could get behind (and will probably sign):

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/02/coronavirus-new-zealander-behind-viral-petition-calling-on-anti-mandate-protesters-to-leave-wellington-speaks-out.html

alexx

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#2872268 21-Feb-2022 22:16

Technofreak:

I think we actually need some middle ground and someone to try and bridge the gaps within our society as it currently is. There are a lot of divisions some created by Covid and some by the government's political agendas. A lot of people feel alienated to a greater or lesser extent in one way or another. That happens with governments of all persuasions just this time Covid has accentuated things. I don't see any way out of it for this government, they are seen as the cause whether or not they are responsible.

Which divisions are these? The biggest gaps are those between the rich and the poor, the people with a house with a spare room and bathroom where they can self isolate, and those living in overcrowded housing. Each time there is any attempt to address those divisions, whether is be through changes in taxation, high density housing zone changes, Māori land rights or any other changes to reduce inequalities, the howls of anguish from the leafy suburbs is deafening, shortly followed by an article in the NZ Herald about how a drop in house prices would be the worst thing in New Zealand history.

The people that would be complaining the loudest about the government actually addressing these problems would be the same ones complaining about so called loss of freedoms. I hear that Russell Coutts wasn't able to get some special quarantine allocation for his SailGP series. He doesn't care about inequality and freedoms for ordinary New Zealanders, he wanted special treatment.

#include <standard.disclaimer>

Handle9

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#2872378 21-Feb-2022 22:55

The actions today by police were sensible. The people are less of an issue than the cars. Now they have stopped new cars joining the protest should gradually shrink.

GV27

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#2872456 22-Feb-2022 07:02

Handle9:

The actions today by police were sensible. The people are less of an issue than the cars. Now they have stopped new cars joining the protest should gradually shrink.

Police clawing back a few metres today, apparently someone drove towards the police line and only just stopped before hitting them.

This is getting insane.

Handle9

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#2872457 22-Feb-2022 07:17

GV27:
Handle9:

The actions today by police were sensible. The people are less of an issue than the cars. Now they have stopped new cars joining the protest should gradually shrink.

Police clawing back a few metres today, apparently someone drove towards the police line and only just stopped before hitting them.

This is getting insane.

It seems to be the plan to match them back and clear behind a bit at a time. It seems pretty sensible and reasonably likely to be successful.

There’s going to be an ugly scene sooner or later but this isn’t too confrontational and makes progress.

floydbloke

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#2872476 22-Feb-2022 08:26

GV27:

...

Police clawing back a few metres today, apparently someone drove towards the police line and only just stopped before hitting them.

This is getting insane.

Video footage here

Thanks for explaining "plethora".

It means a lot.

GV27

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#2872485 22-Feb-2022 08:43

Handle9:

It seems to be the plan to match them back and clear behind a bit at a time. It seems pretty sensible and reasonably likely to be successful.

There’s going to be an ugly scene sooner or later but this isn’t too confrontational and makes progress.

Agree on the gradually pegging back the streets and areas by a block or two each day.

I feel like we've made a bunch of decisions that were justified by 'or else things might get ugly' without considering that the 'things getting ugly' bit was possibly baked in from the start and now we're entering a phase where that's probably going to happen anyway.

Yesterday poo, today possibly acid... what next? They really need to get this totally shut down before the weekend or else there'll be another influx of dickheads.

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freitasm

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#2872486 22-Feb-2022 08:45

floydbloke:

GV27:

...

Police clawing back a few metres today, apparently someone drove towards the police line and only just stopped before hitting them.

This is getting insane.

Video footage here

Probably inspired by those stupid Americans who run over protesters. The difference here is being dumb enough to run over police officers.

quickymart

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#2872619 22-Feb-2022 12:50

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/simon-wilson-no-christopher-luxon-and-protesters-mandates-are-not-the-issue/23ARQEXXOBYQPCPOTVKA3FHBVE/ (paywalled)
An opinion piece from Simon Wilson around Christopher Luxon's call to remove vaccine mandates.

elpenguino

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#2872638 22-Feb-2022 13:14

quickymart:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/simon-wilson-no-christopher-luxon-and-protesters-mandates-are-not-the-issue/23ARQEXXOBYQPCPOTVKA3FHBVE/ (paywalled)
An opinion piece from Simon Wilson around Christopher Luxon's call to remove vaccine mandates.

If it's paywalled you'll have to sum it up for those of us who don't want to pay to read it.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

Rikkitic

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#2872642 22-Feb-2022 13:20

elpenguino:

quickymart:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/simon-wilson-no-christopher-luxon-and-protesters-mandates-are-not-the-issue/23ARQEXXOBYQPCPOTVKA3FHBVE/ (paywalled)
An opinion piece from Simon Wilson around Christopher Luxon's call to remove vaccine mandates.

If it's paywalled you'll have to sum it up for those of us who don't want to pay to read it.

He says Luxon is climbing the wrong tree. It's about the gap. Not the thigh gap, either.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Handle9

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#2872810 22-Feb-2022 16:09

Handle9:
GV27:

Just such an unnecessary thing to get up and do this week. I don't even know what the point of this all was.

New leader but extremely questionable political judgement abounds.

The piece from Audrey Young in the Herald seemed pretty on point. In a choice between the protestors and the government the government will become more popular.

His timing sucks, saying we need to come together and find a middle ground when the protestors are throwing turds at the police isn't going to win him any votes.

Ardern is trying to pin Luxon with supporting those who throw faeces and acid at the police. This has the potential to be fairly damaging for him and the “tough on crime” messaging.

quickymart

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#2872967 22-Feb-2022 21:09

Oh, but apparently the person doing that was "unknown" to the protest "organisers" (I didn't know there were any, it seems such a clown show):

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/02/live-updates-latest-on-parliament-protest-covid-19-community-outbreak-tuesday-february-22.html

The Wellington protest group is shocked by the alleged violent and antisocial behaviour exhibited during the past 48 hours by a number of individuals who do not appear to be associated with the protest.

Throughout, we have continually sought to work with Police to identify individuals involved in any criminal acts and maintain a safe and peaceful environment. We are ever-mindful that approximately 15 percent of protestors present are either children or aged over 60, and 55 percent are women.

However, significant concern has arisen during the past 48 hours over a notable lack of action by Police against identified individuals committing offences outside the protest area.

Emerging evidence of potential external involvement in placing these agitators among the protest is even more worrying.

The individual who sprayed faecal matter at Police on Monday morning was unknown to protestors. He intentionally hid behind a protestor as he sprayed the police, wore a ski mask and fled immediately. Protest organisers have asked Police for pictures from surveillance footage to help us ascertain if the person is still amongst the protest. Police denied the request.

We are now worried he may have returned to the site to perpetrate further violent acts.

Video and photographic evidence has emerged that agitators use earpieces identical to that used by Police. An individual letting off loud fireworks to the rear of the protest on Tuesday morning, making a sound similar to gunshots that naturally increased tension, was immediately stopped by other protestors, and he was handed over to Police. Footage of this person is widely available on social media.

It is not surprising that many of those at the protest site are now suspicious that a deliberate and coordinated action by external parties is being waged to escalate tensions and smear the protestors.

Given the enormous numbers of Police and blanket surveillance of the area, we've been advised they are tracking specific trouble-makers but not acting. We can only perceive their protracted inaction is at the bidding of the Government's PR machine. Meanwhile, anywhere up to 10,000 people per day peacefully visit Parliament grounds to protest these mandates.

The person who allegedly sprayed a mystery substance into the eyes of three Police officers today was also a person unknown to any of the protestors present. He was wearing a face-covering similar to a ski mask.

The vehicle rolled into the back of officers was outside of the protest site (as were the other events) and in an area in which Police have jurisdiction. No one was hurt.

The leaders of the combined groups that comprise the majority of the protestors condemn any acts of violence and request that Police do more to work with them in removing known perpetrators. We also believe that subversive actions of people posing as protestors is an underhand and dishonest tactic that doesn’t fit with New Zealand values.

It has not been helpful today that Police raised with media the possibility for sexual assaults before communicating that to us and before anything of the nature had occurred at the site. This is despite a legal representative having daily and sometimes hourly contact with Police on our behalf for this express purpose.

We are increasingly of the view that Police are playing PR games – taking a leaf out of the Prime Minister's book. It's not drawing too long a bow to observe that it would suit the interests of both Police and Government for the trouble-makers to cause problems for media to report widely upon.

We urge politicians to reflect on a professional survey that revealed the majority of protestors are the exact opposite of "ferals", far-right extremists and "a river of filth". Of the 312 people researchers spoke to on-site over the weekend, 27 percent are Maori, and 45 percent voted Labour or Greens at the last election.

Speaking on behalf of the majority of the groups represented on-site, we are unanimous in our commitment to maintaining a peaceful protest that does not support any violence.

Today, we have passed on our sympathies via official Police channels to the officers injured during the past few days.

What strikes me as strange is all the people doing this stuff, ie, throwing crap at the police, driving cars at the police, spraying acid(?) at the police are all "unknown" to them and they seem to have no idea who the person (or people) doing this stuff are. Sounds a little too convenient for me, that they think they can just play the ignorance card and it's all good.

freitasm

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#2872969 22-Feb-2022 21:13

Bullshit.

Stop the protest.

gzt

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#2872975 22-Feb-2022 21:38

Coincidence?

Stuff: Arrested protesters refusing to provide their names and details to police and the courts are running a risk of being held in custody. Several charges have been laid against people who are simply appearing on the court lists as “Unknown Unknown”.

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