The event is directly inspired by the Movement of Canadian drivers that have been sub-seeding Ottawa for several days.
Le Monde with AFP
After Canada, New Zealand. A convoy of trucks and motorhomes stuck, Tuesday, February 8, the streets around the New Zealand parliament in Wellington to protest against sanitary measures and vaccination, a movement inspired by the one that paralyzes Ottawa, the capital of Canada .
Hundreds of vehicles, on which messages such as “appointment Our freedom” were displayed and “coercion is not consent”, parked in the streets close to Parliament. Hundreds of others rolled through the city center by honking as more than a thousand people listened to the speeches. The event remained peaceful and the police did not report any major arrest or incident.
Ninety-six percent of New Zealanders vaccinated
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said not to intend to dialogue with the people who participated in this operation, stressing that the majority of New Zealand had expressed their support for the government’s vaccination program. “Ninety-six percent of New Zealanders have been vaccinated, which allows us to live today with fewer restrictions through the additional protection that has brought,” she said at Radio New Zealand.
CVIV-19 vaccination is mandatory for people working in certain sectors such as health, police, education and defense. A sanitary pass system has entered force, forcing people to prove their vaccination to enter restaurants, take part in sports events or religious services. It is not mandatory in public transport, supermarkets, schools or to access health services.
Many of Wellington’s protesters wore Canadian flags, including an expatriate named Billy, who refused to give his last name. Hundreds of trucks have been doing for more than ten days, the Canadian Capital’s “Headquarters”, and the Mayor of Ottawa has called on Monday the federal authorities for help to put an end. The organizers of the weldington convoy did not report how long they had to stay in the city.