Police have said they do not want to provoke violence on the streets of Wellington.
A week ago, police attempted to disperse the protesters, leading to violent clashes and the arrest of 120 people.
Police commissioner Andrew Koster has acknowledged growing resentment among protesters and businesses in Wellington, who have been blocking streets in the city center for 11 days.
However, he said the dialogue with protest leaders was yielding positive results, although the number of protesters in parliament continued to rise.
“In our view, the only safe option right now is to continue to focus on de-escalation,” Koster said, explaining that the use of force would only exacerbate the situation.
Inspired by protests in Canada, demonstrators in Wellington have blocked the streets with cars, trucks and trailers.
Protesters have set up tents and shelters and set up toilets, food outlets and babysitting places.
New Zealand’s largest news site reports that protesters in the area around the parliament are acting as guards controlling access to the demonstration camp and police are not intervening.
The Costa has reported that there are about 800 people in the camp and that the streets have been blocked by about 450 vehicles. The number of protesters is expected to increase over the weekend.
Police threatened to draw the army this week to pull away the protesters’ cars, but withdrew after the protesters posted a call for additional forces on social media.
Meanwhile, residents of Wellington complain about non-compliance with the rules on wearing face masks and far-right slogans during demonstrations.
A group of local mayors, business and trade union representatives and lawmakers have issued a statement saying the protests have far exceeded the norms of peaceful demonstrations and the population is tired of it.
The statement called for an immediate end to the protests.
Parliament officials tried to disperse the protesters over the weekend by turning on sprinklers on the lawns near parliament and playing loud pop music and a children’s song. Baby Shark.
–
