Our Family Day at the Wellington Protest

Having been affected by the authoritarian and patently unjust vaccination mandates, my family and I were excited to hear about the convoy heading to Wellington and walked up to our local motorway overbridge to cheer them on as they went past on Sunday 6^th February. We stood with other Kiwis waving our national flag and holding up a sign that said “No Mandates”. We figured that over a quarter of the cars driving under us tooted and waved in support of our message. What we didn’t realise initially was this was not even the convoy. When the convoy arrived we really knew about it. Vehicles decorated in flags and banners cruised through in one almost continuous stream for over half an hour. We could not believe the numbers.

The Sneering Elite and Deceitful Media

In the days that followed, we kept up with what was happening down in Wellington via Telegram channels and Facebook groups. As a family we were buoyed by the ordinary New Zealanders who were taking a stand for freedom. For too long, we have been dictated to by those who look down on us as lesser beings.

This sneering condescension became clear in the mainstream media’s coverage of the event as well as the unwillingness of any politician to come down and walk among the people they supposedly serve to hear their concerns and hurt. The protestors have been sidelined as non-citizens.

Deliberate deceit was practised. Media claimed that there was no clear message. This despite the prolific ‘end mandates’ messaging within the camp. Violent aspects of the protest were highlighted by mainstream media and politicians in an attempt to invalidate the message of the protest.

Many young liberals sipping their soy lattes and older boomers sanctimoniously wrote off the protestors on Twitter and Facebook while the former continued in their ‘elite’ jobs and the latter pursued life with their income streams largely unaffected by the government’s covid policies.

But the mismatch between live footage from people like Chantelle Baker and the Daily Examiner continued in stark contrast to the mainstream media’s carefully curated portrait of the protest. Probably one of the last straws for our family was the report of acid and excrement being thrown at police. No footage of either of these events has turned up, but one video that seems to corroborate the protestor’s version of the acid event has appeared. It seems quite likely that police were affected by their own pepper spray. Waiting for evidence wasn’t an option for many who seemed desperate to cling to yet another smear that would enable them to disregard the message of the protest with their consciences intact. Few have had the guts to backtrack on their hasty social media accusations and publically wonder whether there is more to the story than they initially presumptuously posted.

Enough! Let’s Go and Check it Out

It was at this point we began to ask, “Should we go down?” We wanted to see first-hand what it is like. Now as a family of 8, with our eldest 12 and youngest 8 months old, we realized it would be difficult logistically. Being one of the more fortunate ones, I have managed to keep my teaching job (albeit online), so we had to make our visit on a weekend. My wife, an excellent planner organized the trip and we managed to convoy down with another car and stay with some old friends in Feilding on Friday night. Together we all got an early start and made it to the entrance of the protest area at around 10:00 am.

The first words we were greeted with as we squeezed between the oblong concrete blocks police had surrounded the protest area with were “Morning” from one chap, and “We love you, what beautiful children” from a woman standing nearby. Soon we passed a couple of workers building a toilet structure which would be completed by the end of our day in Wellington and plumbed into the Wellington sewerage system the next day. We spent the next 7 and a half hours walking through the protest grounds and sitting amongst the people there. So let me share some thoughts and observations with you.

Overall Feel

The overall ‘feel’ of the protests was welcoming. Some have mentioned it’s like a festival. People as a whole were friendly, polite and generous. Free food and drink were readily available. Passing one tent I was offered food by a group of Maori adults. There were short queues for spirulina, waffles and hot cross buns on Molesworth Street near the High Court. The kids loved the raspberry sauce! Up in front of the Parliamentary Library, a couple of Christian women wheeled a trolley with trays packed to the brim with baked goods. These were offered around and my family gratefully accepted this hospitality.

People were extremely polite. I was often pushing a stroller with our youngest two in it. Given the crowd, it was difficult sometimes to get where I needed to go when following the rest of our crew. However, people made way and had smiles on their faces. My wife had a stranger help her lift the stroller up some stairs.

There were no masks. Oh, what joy seeing the smiles on people’s faces and the individuality this allows us to see. There was no fear here. No mindless compliance. There was an understanding of the futility of masks. These people understand the mask has become a sacrament for a faith they don’t belong to; a faith which they reject.

One of the most beautiful things about the protest was the way it seems to have united diverse characters. Walking along past an area of food preparation I saw a Pakeha woman who seemed to come from a middle-class background sitting on the straw with a couple of Maori women who looked more working-class, chatting and peeling potatoes for an upcoming meal.

My wife summed up her feel of the place by saying that she didn’t fear that she would have her phone pinched compared to more common large group situations she finds herself in. She described it as a “Can I help you?” type atmosphere. It was a giving rather than taking atmosphere.

Standing behind the barriers looking toward the police ‘guarding’ parliament made me feel a little sad. It seemed a waste of police resources, and it looked incredibly boring. One side of the barrier was full of fun, community, music and festivity, the other masked up despite standing metres apart,  standing on rubber mats staring straight ahead. To add insult to injury, at intervals, our esteemed Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard could be heard informing us that the protest on the grounds was illegal and we were all trespassing. I wish Trevor could see the irony of him lecturing protestors on their illegal actions a day after his government’s police and defence force vaccination mandate has been found to be illegal. I imagine however that it is lost on him.

Entertainment

There was plenty of entertainment. There were various speakers including Rodney Hide who we unfortunately missed. There was live music from various musicians. Up near the Beehive there is a wall where artists can use chalk to draw pictures and write slogans. There was a fairly good drawing of Mel Gibson’s William Wallace. A basketball hoop near the Freedom Stairs was constantly in use. One of the highlights for many that day was the wedding of an unvaccinated couple who apparently couldn’t get married at a registry office. I guess this way they could have had more than the regulated number of guests! There was a trampoline on Kate Sheppard Place which catered for many children. Trevor Mallard’s famous slide had a constant stream of children using it. When we stopped for a sit down near some grassy banks, my children enjoyed rolling down these.

So Who’s There?

So what’s the make up of the protest? There are definitely a significant minority of Christians in the protests. One of the first things we did is attend a sort of worship service on the steps of the Parliamentary library. Then there are those of a more alternative bent; hippies if you will. Maori seem to be overrepresented in the population while I noticed Asians and Indians to be less represented than I am used to in Auckland. There was a far higher proportion of people tattooed than I normally see. It seems that the gathering reflected more ordinary, provincial and working-class people than urban elites. Clearly, there are capable organisers and skilled tradies involved too.

Incidents of Aggression

In the whole time I was there, wandering around to different areas of the protest grounds, I witnessed two incidents of aggression. As I joked with my friends, there was less violence in one whole day here than there was in any given lunchtime at my old high school; Manurewa High.

The first occurred when several police wandered down Molesworth street and onto Lambton Quay. One Maori man began shouting at the police to get off ‘our land’. He referred to some recent event where a group had apparently ‘trespassed’ the police from the protest grounds. The police stood still and faced the man down as he shouted at them. They did nothing aggressive and I heard nothing from them, although that may be because the man was shouting so loudly. Very quickly other protestors gathered. One young man, despite being much smaller, challenged the aggressive man and said something along the lines of “That’s not the way we do things” and earned a shove and verbal abuse for his trouble. The police remained restrained. That was the only violence I saw during this first incident. As more protestors gathered, they began chanting “Peace and love!” They then walked toward the aggressive man and police and the police backed away down Lambton Quay towards Mulgrave street and outside of the protest perimeter. I had my children with me and was within 10m of the incident. I did not feel unsafe.

The second incident was a fisty cuffs between teenage girls. I have no idea what it was about, but there was a lot of swearing and yelling. This incident ironically occurred outside “Camp Kindness”, a collection of tents on Bunny street outside Old Government buildings. The protest security guards arrived promptly at the scene and took care of the issue. One Maori lady wandering past told me “It’s OK, it’s just some silly little b*****s having a fight.”

So what do I make of this? There were thousands of people in the protest site. Free food and fun are also attracting people who are not necessarily there because they want the mandates to end. I saw two aggressive incidents despite being surrounded by people the whole day. Sure, not great, but go down to the main street of your city on a Friday night in town or a typical high school at lunchtime and you’d see a lot worse.

To balance this picture out you’d need to consider how the vast majority of protestors treat each other and the police. As police finished shifts, you’d hear protestors calling out to them, “Well done guys, thank you!” As already mentioned, politeness and kindness toward others in the grounds marked our experience throughout the day.

So does aggression characterize the Wellington protest accurately? No. Does it represent the overall vibe of the protest? Emphatically no, of course, it doesn’t. Is it unfortunate? Yes of course. But the percentage of idiots seemed to me to be fairly low. In a funny shaped building nearby, I think the ratio of unpleasant people would be a lot higher than I saw at this protest, but we are all forced to put up with that 6 score of people despite the snarkiness we see from them on a regular basis.

Unsafe for Kids?

I’ve seen claims that the protest area is unsafe for kids. My experience during the day was that this is not true. It may of course be different at night time. My children are aged 8 months, 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years old. My only concern (as is usually the case in big crowds) for them during the day was the possibility of them getting lost or separated from us. I wrote our number on each of their hands so that in the event of getting lost they could point to their hands and get a passerby to phone us. We also arranged a meeting place.

There were many kids throughout the protest. Mallard’s expensive slide was at least put to good use, reducing the per slide cost considerably. Kids in our group were offered free balloons, stickers, and some weird crystals on sticks – who knows what they were designed to ward off. Passing strangers also gave us bubble wands which our children enjoyed using. Another stranger offered the children a chocolate fish.

Unsanitary Conditions?

Were the conditions unsanitary? In a word, no. This has come up time and time again. It reminds me of Nazi propaganda attempts to smear the Jews as vermin. Sure the area surrounding the port-a-loos smelt like…well port-a-loos. Perhaps some of the precious mainstream media reporters who have never camped at a DOC site and have all their holidays at Daddy’s Omaha bach might consider these conditions unsanitary, but the reality is that given an outdoor camping environment, the place was immaculate. Far cleaner than what you would expect at a large public gathering. Was there excrement on the ground? No. My wife noted a slight odour of decaying straw which I did not notice, but Trevor Mallard can take the blame for that. The place is being upgraded by the talented people living there. Now they have flush toilets installed and a shower block which the police have subsequently destroyed. The only danger of unsanitary conditions comes from police attempts to block trucks from emptying the port-a-loos.

Was there rubbish throughout the camp? No. It was surprisingly clear of rubbish. Every school in the country would have far more rubbish after lunchtime than I saw in my day there. I saw a woman wheeling a trolley with a black sack on it. It seems there are systems for keeping the campground tidy.

The Eccentric?

Much has been made of the eccentricities of the protestors. This has been used to tar the protest with the ‘conspiracy theory’ brush so that the message of no mandates can be dismissed more easily. Well yes, there were some eccentrics and unusual people at the protest. But again, using the school comparison, are there unusual children at school? Yes. When we have large gatherings do we find people with unusual views? Yes. Go to parliament (or church!) and you’ll find a few eccentrics there.

So who were these eccentrics? I did spot several people wearing tinfoil hats. Now given that I didn’t speak to these people, I don’t know if they are wearing them for what they consider serious reasons or as a send-up for the media. To be honest, there are definitely some conspiracy theorists in some of the groups I’ve joined to keep an eye on the protests and I definitely saw one mum adjusting a piece of aluminium foil inside a hat while standing next to a child.

Then down at the intersection of Stout Street and Bunny street where the protestors waved flags, hands and signs at passersby while sitting on the concrete blocks police had brought in, there was a middle-aged chap using a megaphone. “Autobots, roll out,” and various other instructions to Transformers were issued at regular intervals. This guy had to be one of the highlights of my day.

Another man, by the look of it homeless and clutching a packet of cigarettes, walked past me muttering to himself about his personal economic situation and its injustice. Then there was a fairly rugged looking chap driving a beat-up old car with a dead tree (complete with root ball) sticking out the front passenger window with a flag wrapped tightly around its end who stopped right next to the police blockade at Mulgrave street outside the transport interchange. The tree was removed and brought into the protest grounds. He chatted with the police while his car, hazard lights flashing blocked up one lane momentarily.

Some find religious Christians ‘eccentric’, so I’ll mention the evangelicals singing songs up near Parliament Library. There were also a group of Catholics holding a crucifix, a New Zealand flag and a statue of Mary who were marching around the precinct. I was told by some that they were marching around parliament 7 times.

So yes, by the standards of many, there were some unusual events occurring. There were some unusual people. However, it seems to me that some are all too willing to write off the whole protest because there are a few unusual or eccentric people involved. This might be convenient, but it does not take away from the message and is all part of the fun.

On the Barricades!

Towards the end of our day, we decided to head down to the intersection of Stout Street and Bunny street where the barricade of concrete blocks prevented more cars from entering the protest area. A number of protestors sat or stood on these concrete blocks, waving flags and dancing to classics like Dave Dobbyn’s “Slice of Heaven”. This is where Transformer guy was based! A young boy was shouting out freedom and the crowd responded with louder cheers of “Freedom!” As cars went by, many tooted support which caused huge cheers from the protestors, especially when bus drivers showed their support.

So Where is This Going?

The government has continued to underestimate the scale of the situation. The protest is massive. Only by walking around did I finally understand how big this is. Events around the country on Saturday show that support is nationwide.

Additionally, the government and media have also underestimated who they are dealing with. The typical disdain that the ‘intellectual’ class has for those who work with their hands has been apparent. Wood’s comments about a river of filth highlight this scorn. Mallard’s stupid decision to use the sprinklers against them underscores that our politicians have not understood who they are dealing with. Like Mallard, I’d have no idea how to deal with a sprinkler system being weaponized against me while camping, and I’d probably decamp. And if new port-a-loos were not provided for me, I’d have no idea what to do, and be forced to head elsewhere.

However, within this community are people who are not only desperate because they have lost their jobs, but also very skilled. They are not mindless rabble or even the silly little girls who attend climate protests while knowing little about science. Many are practical Kiwis who know how to get stuff done. To be honest, the ‘can do’ and ‘know how’ of key members of this group, if moved into the Beehive, would be a welcome relief to the incompetence we have suffered under for so long. These typical Kiwis wouldn’t ordinarily attend protests because they are busy working, minding their own business and keeping this country running. The government, by its authoritarian hubris, has invited this ‘revolt’.

To cap off the day

After a long and tiring day, we set off for Feilding but stopped off on the way back for dinner. This was a little bit of an emotional experience for me. Our friends knew of a restaurant that refused to discriminate. In fact, it’s there on their front door.

So for the first time since the wicked discriminatory vaccine passport system was introduced last year, I entered a restaurant and was treated like I was a person.

I can’t explain exactly how I felt – the emotions were so mixed: anger that people could be so blind to go along with this injustice, sadness having been treated this way for months, and joy that there are people who are willing to risk great penalties to stand up against injustice.

As a family, we are glad we went and saw this for ourselves. Our children will never forget this experience and have been involved in a small way in what is going to be an important part of New Zealand’s history. More power to the protestors.