Hundreds of New Zealand residents held their own “convoy for freedom” demonstration in Wellington in protest of the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates, inspired by similar protests in Canada, Reuters reported.
Demonstrators, mostly unmasked, gathered around New Zealand’s Parliament buildings just before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s first yearly speech.
Protesters held placards that called for “freedom” and vowed to camp outside the Parliament buildings until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, according to Reuters.
At a news conference, Ardern told reporters that she met with protesters but added they represented a minority view on the pandemic measures.
“I think it would be wrong to in any way characterize what we’ve seen outside as a representation of the majority,” Ardern said. “The majority of New Zealanders have done everything they can to keep one another safe.”
In Canada, a protest that began with truckers opposing vaccine mandates has shut down parts of Ottawa and mushroomed into broader rallies against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Those protests have also found supporters among the far right in the U.S., as well as GOP politicians including former President Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
New Zealand officials have enforced some of the world’s toughest restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus.
During her first parliamentary speech of 2022, Ardern told lawmakers that the pandemic will not end with the current spread of the omicron variant, saying the country has to prepare for more variants to emerge later this year.
Government officials said last week the country plans a phased reopening of its borders by October, Reuters noted.