Wellington: Hundreds of people protested the mandate of the vaccine and the limitation of the pandemic blocked the streets outside the New Zealand parliament on Tuesday with trucks and campervans, inspired by similar demonstrations in Canada.
The protesters of the “convoy for freedom” arrived from all corners of New Zealand and gathered outside the Parliament Building in the capital of Wellington, called a honeycomb, ahead of the first speech for this year by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Protesters are mostly not suspected, hold placards calling for “freedom” and vowing to camp outside parliament to sidewalks Covid-19 lifted.
Protests, who can run for days, are inspired by the ongoing truck blockade in the Canadian capital Ottawa on strict government steps to fight a pandemic.
Ardern did not meet with the protesters, and told reporters later that the protesters did not represent the majority view.
“I think it will be wrong in any way that characterizes what we have seen outside as the majority representation,” Ardern said at a press conference.
“The majority of New Zealand people have done everything they can to keep each other safe.” In his first parliamentary speech for this year the previous day, Ardern told MPs that the Covid-19 pandemic would not end with the Omicron and New Zealand variants must prepare more variants of the virus this year.
The Ardern government has imposed several of the toughest pandemic restrictions over the past two years when the government tried to expel Corenavirus.
The policy helps maintain infection and low death.
A country of five million people, New Zealand has had around 18,000 Covid cases that were confirmed so far and 53 deaths.
But also angered many people who face endless housing isolation, and tens of thousands of New Zealand’s foreigners were cut off from family at home when the border remained sealed.
The steps have also destroyed businesses that depend on international tourists.
Ardern approval rating dropped in the latest 1 new Public Cantar poll released last month, because the public marked it for delays in vaccination and in removing limits.
The government said last week that the country would reopen its borders with the whole world in phase only in October.