New Zealand-February 22 (Online): New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a startling incident that saw one protester speed a car toward police lines before coming to a quick halt just centimetres away. <\/p>\n
The brief but intense confrontations erupted near New Zealand’s parliament early Tuesday, as police moved roadblocks used to contain a protest camp that has clogged downtown Wellington for two weeks.<\/p>\n
The Wellington protest began as a movement against vaccine mandates — inspired by similar protests in the Canadian capital Ottawa.<\/p>\n
It has since grown to around 1,500 people and encompasses a range of grievances, with some far-right messaging among the anti-government and anti-media slogans on display. <\/p>\n
Assistant Commission Richard Chambers said three officers who were taken to hospital were “recovering well”.<\/p>\n
He blamed a “certain group within the protest” for the “appalling” attack.<\/p>\n
“Police officers are going about their work as best they can to bring peace to the situation… there’s a group (of protesters) determined to bring violence and aggression — we can’t tolerate that.”<\/p>\n
On Monday police reported demonstrators hurled human faeces at them, prompting officers to protect themselves with riot shields during the latest clashes.<\/p>\n
Ardern said she was concerned the protest was becoming increasingly violent.<\/p>\n
“The attacks on the police have been absolutely disgraceful,” she said.<\/p>\n
“To anyone down there who thinks they’re part of a peaceful protest, that’s not what we’ve seen today — I would encourage them to leave.”<\/p>\n
Authorities had been taking a largely hands-off approach to the demonstration, trying to persuade protesters to voluntarily move on.<\/p>\n
But Chambers said recent events showed “genuine protesters are no longer in control of the behaviour in and around parliament”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Zealand-February 22 (Online): New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a […]<\/p>\n
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