I watched the Groundswell protest in Westport this weekend. Westport is a small place, and didn’t even run a Groundswell protest last time. But this time, they were there in spades… tractors, trucks, utes, even large articulated vehicles from the local carrier. And the best part was the support from locals. Lots and lots of support.
Westport is a country town, of course, with dairy farms, cattle farms, sheep farms, horticulture and growers all over the place, so it makes sense that they support Groundswell. So many businesses hang off the agricultural sector, it is a major employer in the town.
But Groundswell is not important just for that. Groundswell has become a well-organised group that instructed its members to be very clear about their message. And therein lies their strength.
We all know how the media are nothing more than government shills. They have sold their souls for 30 pieces of silver. Until now, the media have been able to report on anti-government protests as ‘anti-vaxxers’ (with a side serving of white supremacism thrown in, even though a lot of these protests are led by Maori), managing to write them off as nothing more than a bunch of nutters.
Every anti-lockdown protest has been swatted away by the media because people are protesting a number of things – mandated vaccinations, lockdowns, 3 Waters to name but a few. The overall message gets lost somewhere, and the media are able to pounce on this and dismiss the protestors as some right-wing fringe group. They have managed this quite well so far.
Groundswell is much better than that. The placards were simple and clear; participants were asked not to confuse the message. Also, from what I have seen around the country, they caused little disruption, unlike the deliberate traffic gridlock the previous week, which just antagonised people. Cars followed the tractors through the town – at a slower pace than usual, but nobody seemed to mind and judging by the hooting and cheering going on, most of the locals support the farmers in their protest.
So the media were unable to write them off as anti-vax nutters, and because there was no nastiness or disruption, members of the media pack were unable to garner sympathy by claiming they were afraid for their safety. There is nothing to be afraid of with a (large) number of tractors simply driving up the main streets. It was a joy to watch.
Stuff still did its best to smear them, however.
A nationwide rural protest is being hijacked by anti-Government protesters, a farmer says.
Thousands of farmers and ute drivers took to the streets across the country on Sunday for the third protest organised by Groundswell NZ.
Tokoroa dairy farmer Arianna Ashworth said the protest came at a bad time.
“Groundswell’s message is being muddled by a lot of individuals opinions that stray far from the true message,” she said.
Yes… but sadly for them, Stuff had to front up and tell the truth, for once.
Groundswell organisers Bryce McKenzie and Laurie Patterson anticipated it, issuing a list of “approved messages”. None of them include “Freedom”, “MAGA [Make Ardern Go Away]” or “Media Treason”; all evident in the march on Parliament last week.
“Enough is Enough” is allowable on a list of 15 possibilities, as are “No Farmers, No Food”, and “No 3 Waters”.
Although they still did their best to rubbish it, quoting the disgraceful Stuart Nash.
On Thursday, Labour MP Stuart Nash questioned Groundswell’s beliefs after the Hamilton protest organiser, and Tatua Dairy direction Ross Townshend was forced to stand down after making a racist post about Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta on social media.
“I’m not too sure what Groundswell stands for these days and that is what I have read on their website,” Nash said at question time in Parliament on Thursday. “It’s a mixture of racism, anti-vax, etc.”
Stuff.
I hate calling an MP a liar, but Nash is lying here. There is no anti-vax sentiment or racism on their website. Have a look for yourself.
Oh, and just in case you thought they are a bunch of nutters, take a look at this:
A bunch of racist, anti-vax nutters, eh Stuart?
Groundswell is important for another reason though. Apart from their excellent organisation and clear message, there is something else. When you have 50 tractors rolling down the main street of your town on a Sunday afternoon, you are likely to notice it. If not, you will hear about it from someone. You might start to ask a few questions about it. And then, if you were already feeling a bit unhappy with this government and a little apprehensive about some of the things they are doing, suddenly you realise you are not alone.
Even if the media don’t report on the protests at all – and they spent as little time as they could on Groundswell on the TV1 News on Sunday – you will hear about tractors rolling through your town. And suddenly you realise that maybe there are a lot of people that don’t like this government and maybe – just maybe – you have been right all along, but you have been too afraid to say so because everywhere you look, Jacinda is still revered. Well… everywhere in the paid media anyway.
A few tractors rolling down the main street of your town can bring down a government.
That is why Groundswell is so important. In a civilised manner, slowly but surely, the message is getting out there, and they cannot be written off as nutters, no matter how much Stuart Nash or the media like to try. Thus they are aptly named. The Groundswell is happening, and it is happening right under our feet. Watch out Jacinda, and Stuart Nash. The people of New Zealand are taking their country back… slowly but surely, and you won’t stop them now.