“Want to see the beautiful New Zealand that you remember? Go to Wellington”

February 27, 2022

By NZB3

Guest post from New Zealand Anarchist, Rose Clark, who visited the Freedom Camp in Wellington last week to see for herself…

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Back home again after a very intense, inspiring three days at the Wellington protest.

I will continue to travel back and forth to show my support, as long as it takes.

If Jabcinda doesn’t concede, and dissolve these mandates, she is simply prolonging the inevitable. These people aren’t going anywhere. This movement is growing larger by the day, and it is popping up right across the country in various locations.

A barricade of concrete blocks will not stop them. Bad weather is not going to stop them. False media reports are not going to stop them.

We have intelligent, skilled, resourceful and determined people amongst this crowd, working together in harmony, and they will problem solve themselves out of any obstacle that is put in front of them.

If you are still sitting in front of your television each evening at 6pm, lapping up the mainstream media narrative like it’s going out of fashion, I’m assuming you are probably becoming quite used to hearing the following buzzwords:
Tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists. Stinky dreadlocked unclean hippies. Unhinged unstable fringe dwellers. Neo-nazi, Islamophobic, anti-semitic, racist aggressive white supremacists. And of course, the selfish unwashed. The selfish dirty unclean angry people down at parliament, ruining local businesses and interfering with the lives of locals.
Now, Let’s try this again with an injection of REALITY.

Doctors, nurses, police, farmers, builders, engineers, photographers, journalists, artists, musicians, drain layers, road workers, corporate professionals, mothers, fathers, children, families, pregnant women, tiny babies, students, employed and unemployed, lots and lots of very friendly dogs enjoying the best days of their life receiving the most damn pats they’ve ever had; and yes, some dreadlocked “hippy types” beating on their drums and smiling and hugging a lot of people.

Literally thousands of Kiwis who have been legitimately physically injured by the vaccine, and many of them with stories of friends or family that have died or committed suicide due to vaccine complication or exacerbated mental health issues resulting from the isolation imposed by mandates.

- Thousands of Kiwis who have not seen friends or family in years, or have suffered relationship breakdowns due to mandate restrictions, or disputes over vaccines.
- Thousands of Kiwis who have lost their jobs and been treated like second rate citizens because they choose to take responsibility for their own health.
- Kiwis who have lost loved ones during lockdown and could not even attend the funeral to say goodbye.
- Kiwis who have had much needed surgery or medical procedures cancelled because it was not deemed “essential”.
- Kiwis who have lost their businesses, homes or ability to provide for themselves or their family.

That’s just some of the list.

I witnessed a group of people who have lost a lot, made many sacrifices and are willing to further inconvenience their lives, living in great discomfort, at the risk of being further hated and further ostracized, all for the sake of simply returning to ‘normal life’ and exiting this Clown World we are currently living in.

I witnessed a community of people, helping each other, looking after each other’s kids, feeding each other, supporting each other and listening to each other with an open heart and Actual-Real- Life-Kindness-In-Action, that Jabcinda could really learn a thing or two from.

I did not witness a selfish man or woman in sight. The only violence or aggression I witnessed, on two separate occasions were:
(1). An anti-protestor who drove past and swore at the crowd, saying “go home you filthy scum C-U-Next-Tues”. (The guy had 2 young children in his car with him, that’s some top notch parenting).
(2). A woman who kicked the drink bottle of a protestor into oncoming traffic because she was writing ‘Peace & Love’ on the footpath, using some chalk.
(3). I have also been personally stalked and abused online more times than I can count, simply for sharing my observations. I support open peaceful debate. I refuse to stoop to the level of personal insult, and will block anyone who is not interested in peaceful debate.

My response to the accusation that the protesters are harming business trade and access to the university:
There are many businesses that have chosen to stay closed even though they are not actually geographically located on the streets where the protest is taking place. That’s their choice and they are entitled to it. Unlike the mandates, no one has forced them into it with a promise of some sort of freedom at the other end of an imaginary goalpost. They can choose for themselves.

Personally, as a business owner, I think closing your doors is a wasted opportunity for profit; and I would request that they think about the damage the mandates have done to their own businesses, as well as economy and trade right across New Zealand.

Those businesses that have chosen to stay open, will agree, they are continuing to experience a roaring trade, and can’t keep up with demand. It’s a great problem to have.
The owner of the infamous Backbenchers pub, recently changed his tune, and agreed that the protesters were a peaceful group of people. He is still in business, running an off-site, licensed, food and beverage service. You can listen to his feedback here:

Owner of Backbencher pub on police towing parliament protesters cars, NewstalkZB (22 Feb 2022)

The police have made a few attempts to move vehicles, and gain some territory.

Their attempts are futile.

I witnessed a group of strong men from the protest, physically lift a vehicle and return it to its original location after one of these unicorn-level-elusive tow trucks came on site to move it. This is called strength in numbers. This is community spirit, something that has sorely been lacking across New Zealand for the last couple of years.

Want to see the beautiful New Zealand that you remember? Go to Wellington and have a look for yourself.

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Image ref. Rose, Week 8 2022

Image ref. Heather, Week 9 2022