Covid 19 Omicron Parliament protest: Shower on cenotaph to be moved - protester

A structure next to the Wellington cenotaph on Parliament grounds was planned to be a shower, not a toilet, the man building it says.

People protesting the Covid-19 vaccination mandates, and a slew of other causes and grievances, arrived on the grounds as part of a anti-mandate convoy 11 days ago and have remained since - joined by hundreds more - setting up a camp that now resembles a small village.

But anger erupted on social media overnight after people began tweeting photos of the structure, a wooden fence and posts covered by a blue tarpaulin and hard against part of the cenotaph.

oh my word - this is simply heartbreaking. All our war heroes being shat on by utter thugs. Shame on them all cos even the Yoga crowd are selling their souls staying in this ugly atmosphere https://t.co/Q6ALSVbCFH

— @heroesatwork (@heroesatwork) February 18, 2022

The cenotaph, also known as the Wellington Citizens' War Memorial, commemorates New Zealanders who died in the two world wars.

"They are using the Cenotaph as an open air toilet!," tweeted one person this morning.

"I am actually speechless!"

But a man who was occupying the area where the structure was said told a Herald reporter he'd been constructing a shower next to the monument.

After the online speculation about it being a toilet, he had decided to move the shower out into the open to avoid offending anyone, he said.

in NZ, anti-mandate protestors demand respect by shitting, pissing and scribbling on the war memorial cenotaph commemorating the lives of those lost fighting nazis. cool job 👍 pic.twitter.com/Pts2cmwlxS

— f*male b*tch (@Ahhmandah) February 18, 2022

The structure wasn't the only protest action affecting the cenotaph.

Photos posted to social media showed parts of the memorial covered in chalked messages and drawings.

"In NZ, anti-mandate protestors demand respect by ... scribbling on the war memorial cenotaph commemorating the lives of those lost fighting nazis. cool job", one person tweeted.

Another tweeted that they "cannot imagine how much anger veterans must feel when they see what that lot have done to the cenotaph, a place people congregate to remember our fallen".

Some protesters have previously referenced New Zealand's war dead and veterans in challenging the mandates, and other Government responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The RSA couldn't immediately be contacted for comment.

omg. the protesters actually did set up a toilet at the cenotaph https://t.co/rg0JTxXLMT

— Morgan Godfery (@MorganGodfery) February 18, 2022

A Herald reporter at the site this morning didn't see any graffiti on the cenotaph, but a man addressing the hundreds of protesters referenced claims of graffiti on the war memorial.

Veterans had expressed their displeasure at the graffiti, the man said, urging people to not add more and help remove what had already been done.