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
TT
20

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.



More than a Dozen Migrants Die as Boats Sink off Greece, Türkiye

A dinghy transporting dozens of refugees and migrants is pulled towards Greece's Lesbos island after being rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Türkiye and Greece on February 29, 2020. Aris Messinis, AFP/File picture
A dinghy transporting dozens of refugees and migrants is pulled towards Greece's Lesbos island after being rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Türkiye and Greece on February 29, 2020. Aris Messinis, AFP/File picture
TT
20

More than a Dozen Migrants Die as Boats Sink off Greece, Türkiye

A dinghy transporting dozens of refugees and migrants is pulled towards Greece's Lesbos island after being rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Türkiye and Greece on February 29, 2020. Aris Messinis, AFP/File picture
A dinghy transporting dozens of refugees and migrants is pulled towards Greece's Lesbos island after being rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Türkiye and Greece on February 29, 2020. Aris Messinis, AFP/File picture

A boat carrying migrants from Türkiye to a nearby Greek island sank Thursday morning, leaving at least seven people dead, including three children, Greece’s coast guard said. Turkish authorities reported what appeared to be a separate sinking in the same area, with nine people dead.
The two accidents reportedly occurred several hours apart in the narrow stretch of the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Lesbos and the Turkish coast, with both sides unaware of the other nation’s rescue efforts.
Greece's coast guard said a dinghy carrying migrants began taking on water and 23 people were rescued and the bodies of three women, two boys, one girl and one man were recovered, The AP news reported. 
The survivors were taken to a migrant camp on the island. The search and rescue operation continued into Thursday afternoon as the exact number of people who had been on board the dinghy was unclear.
Weather in the area was reported to have been good. The nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.
Separately in Türkiye, the Canakkale governor’s office said the Turkish coast guard received an emergency call for help from a migrant boat and deployed three boats and a helicopter.
The statement said that nine bodies had been recovered and the search for one missing person continued, while 25 people were rescued.
Greece is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with many making the short but often treacherous journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable dinghies or other small boats. Many are unseaworthy, or set out in bad weather, and fatal accidents have been common.
The Greek government has cracked down with increased patrols at sea, and many smuggling rings have shifted their operations south, using larger boats to transport people from the northern coast of Africa to southern Greece.
Last year, more than 54,000 people used what has become known as the eastern Mediterranean route heading to Greece, and more than 7,700 crossed Greece's small land border with Türkiye, according to figures from the UN refugee agency. There were 125 people reported dead or missing.
By March 30, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said there had been just over 8,000 people arriving in Greece by sea and 755 by land since the start of 2025.