Anti-vaccine mandate protesters have camped outside Parliament for the second night in a row.
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They remain despite things turning sour on Wednesday, with arrests made after some protesters allegedly attempted to push past a line of officers and enter Parliament.
The three arrests came shortly after 3pm in the second day of protests, which had been previously peaceful, when tensions escalated into aggressive behaviour by some.
Police said the behaviour was “extremely disappointing”.
The three people have been charged with obstruction and have been trespassed from Parliament grounds.
They have been bailed and are due to appear in the Wellington District Court on Monday.
On Thursday morning, there are a quite a few tents outside Parliament and a strong police presence remains.
There are campervans, cars and vans parked in the surrounding streets of Parliament, causing disruption for commuters.
“New Zealanders have the right to protest, but New Zealanders also have the right to be vaccinated and the right to be kept as safe as possible in a pandemic,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
National leader Christopher Luxon agreed that people had the right to protest, but he added that “I think when it’s becoming quite antisocial and aggressive that’s a big problem”.
“It’s possible to have a peaceful protest but what they’re doing is far too intense,” ACT leader David Seymour added.
The protest had been mostly peaceful, but there were instances of some protesters abusing members of the public and the media, with some even saying they want to execute members of the media.
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