Thousands Protest Covid Restrictions in New Zealand

Protesters rally against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions and vaccine mandates in Wellington, New Zealand, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Praveen Menon
Protesters rally against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions and vaccine mandates in Wellington, New Zealand, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Praveen Menon
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Thousands Protest Covid Restrictions in New Zealand

Protesters rally against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions and vaccine mandates in Wellington, New Zealand, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Praveen Menon
Protesters rally against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions and vaccine mandates in Wellington, New Zealand, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Praveen Menon

Thousands of demonstrators marched on the New Zealand parliament to protest against Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday, prompting a major police deployment at the Wellington building known as the Beehive.

About 3,000 people, most not wearing masks, made their way through the capital's city center, including dozens of motorcyclists in biker gang regalia performing burnouts.

Some attendees carried "Trump 2020" flags, while others bore signs carrying messages from Maori groups, those impacted by lockdowns, and teachers who face losing their jobs if they refuse vaccination.

Others targeted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with slogans such as "Pro Choice, Anti Jacinda", with "Media Lies" and "Media Treason" also prominent.

The protest was peaceful, with demonstrators dispersing after performing a massed haka on the grounds of parliament. The traditional Maori haka is used in a variety of ways -- to intimidate rivals, to celebrate, but also to mourn.

Police said there were no arrests in Wellington, although they expressed disappointment over so many participants flouting coronavirus restrictions.

They said one officer was bitten at a separate small protest just outside Auckland when police were physically removing a demonstrator from the road.

Ardern said most New Zealanders supported her government's virus response, citing figures showing almost 90 percent of the population had received their first vaccination dose.

"What we saw today was not representative of the vast bulk of New Zealanders," she told reporters.

Ardern's government has adopted a tough Covid-19 response, including hard lockdowns and tight border restrictions, which has seen New Zealand record only 31 virus deaths in a population of five million.

Residents of the country's largest city, Auckland, have been subject to stay-at-home orders since mid-August and Ardern this week indicated the restrictions would remain until the end of November.

She has promised to introduce more freedoms, including an end to lockdowns, once 90 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

However, those who remain unvaccinated will still face curbs on their employment, travel and entertainment options.



Kremlin: Putin Ready to 'Help Resolve' Iran Nuclear Stand-off

FILED - 14 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 summit. Photo: -/White House/dpa
FILED - 14 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 summit. Photo: -/White House/dpa
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Kremlin: Putin Ready to 'Help Resolve' Iran Nuclear Stand-off

FILED - 14 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 summit. Photo: -/White House/dpa
FILED - 14 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 summit. Photo: -/White House/dpa

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to "help resolve" the standoff between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear program, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"We have a close partnership with Tehran. And President Putin said that he was ready to use this partnership to help resolve the Iranian nuclear issue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

After a call between the leaders on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said Putin had offered to "participate" in talks on Tehran's nuclear program, as Trump accused Iran of "slow-walking" its response to Washington's offer of a deal.

Washington and Tehran have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new accord to replace the nuclear deal that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

Trump said Monday that his administration would not allow "any" enrichment of uranium, despite Tehran's insistence that it has the right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said earlier Wednesday that Washington's proposal was against Tehran's national interest.

Russia and Iran have deepened their military ties amid Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine.

The Kremlin said earlier this week that Tehran had the "right" to a run a peaceful nuclear energy program.