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March madness as rival protests clash

Caroline Williams and Jonathan Killick

A clash between anti-government protesters and a counter-demonstration ended peacefully and without arrests, police said.

Police commended drivers who avoided areas around the Auckland Domain yesterday, after Aucklanders suffered traffic chaos two weekends before when protesters from the Freedom and Rights Coalition converged onto the Southern Motorway.

Preparations were made this time, however, and motorway entrances were blocked, preventing demonstrators from entering it.

Police did intervene as tensions between the Brian Tamaki-led Freedom and Rights Coalition and a rival group waving rainbow flags and playing disco music boiled over at the Domain throughout the day, each side calling for the other to go home.

The groups were separated by police and the anti-government crowd ultimately marched away led by Tamaki, past Auckland City Hospital and chanting that the Government should drop Covid-19 vaccine mandates for nurses.

One person inside the hospital could be seen making an obscene gesture through the windows at the protesters who eventually looped back to the Domain.

Police had warned road users to prepare for traffic disruption because of the protest, which also resulted in the cancellation of several children’s football games at the Domain.

The Freedom and Rights Coalition, led by Tamaki’s Destiny Church, described the latest protest as a ‘‘Kiwi Patriots Day and March’’ and farmers market.

The counter-protest dubbed ‘‘FARC off Brian’’ – a play on the Freedom and Rights Coalition acronym – was organised by Mark Graham in objection to Tamaki’s ‘‘message of exclusion and hate’’.

The Freedom and Rights Coalition said its protest was over ‘‘unworkable’’ regulations for farmers, ‘‘reckless’’ spending of taxpayer money and the ‘‘never-ending’’ lockdowns causing businesses to suffer.

It also wanted better property market conditions for first-home buyers, better mental health services, the protection of religious rights and tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty) for indigenous people.

Several protesters were displaying Z symbols regarded as denoting support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Counter-protesters were asked to protest in a fun, peaceful and non-violent manner and wear pink or bright colours.

‘‘We will not be looking to prevent anyone walking on to the motorway – that isn’t our job. We are not looking for a confrontation, but to show that a diverse and inclusive community has a positive message for New Zealand,’’ Graham posted to the Facebook event.

Police said about 500 people attended the protest and no arrests were made. Police would complete a review in coming weeks.

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en-nz

2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281698323514225

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