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MELANIE EARLEY / Stuff
Protesters marched down Queen St asking people on the street to “join them.”
More than a thousand protesters gathered in Auckland CBD on Saturday for a “freedom rally” in Auckland alongside Advance NZ party leaders Billy Te Kahika and Jami-Lee Ross.
A sea of people, many of whom were not wearing masks, flocked to Aotea Square around noon and carried signs protesting the blockade of Covid-19, 5G, vaccines, the New Zealand government and the TPPA.
Te Kahika said the protest was being held to call for a halt to Labor and National’s shutdown strategies.
He previously described Covid-19 as no more serious than influenza.
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Protests have occurred weekly since Auckland was at alert level 3, but the number of attendees has been increasing.
Ross addressed the crowd and said that being locked up was “wrong and had to stop.”
“We want to regain our rights and our freedom,” Ross said, “the government has decided, in the name of old science, that we must stop our daily lives.”
Melanie Earley / Stuff
Advance NZ co-leader Jami-Lee Ross addresses the crowd in Aotea Square.
Several policemen attended the protest to monitor the situation.
Auckland City Police Inspector Grant Tetzlaff said the police recognized the legal right of people to protest.
“However, we also recognize the need for people to follow current level 2 restrictions to do their part to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“Police will continue to take an educational approach with attendees and organizers when necessary.”
University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker has previously praised the government’s lockdown approach in Auckland.
“The essence of the elimination approach is that you work intensively with all the tools you have as quickly as possible before you start to get exponential increase.”
CHRIS MCKEEN / THINGS
Hundreds of people gathered in Aotea Square and marched down Queen St to the Britomart compound in defiance of Level 3 restrictions to protest in Auckland. Video first published on August 29.
Auckland is still at alert level 2.5, which means social gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed.
The maximum penalty for failing to comply with orders under the 2020 Covid-19 Public Health Response Act is six months in prison or a fine of $ 4000.
