Anti-mandate agitators are chanting "mandates gone by 1st of March" and "freedom" as a protest - including a march across Auckland's Harbour Bridge - gets under way. Video / Brett Phibbs / Michael Craig / Allan Myers
The protesters who closed down the Auckland Harbour Bridge have copped a lashing from the city's mayor as the unlawful march appears to expose how thinly police are stretched.
Phil Goff said: "There's a hell of a lot of Aucklanders who get fed up when a group who claim to be the majority but are a minority disrupt other's lives.
"I think the average Aucklander thinks, 'get a life'."
The bridge was closed for at least 90 minutes and traffic in Auckland gridlocked for hours after 2000 protesters ignored police instructions to stay off the bridge and went ahead anyway.
Police went from telling the protesters the march was unlawful to standing aside to avoid the situation "escalating" then providing the marchers with a escort across the bridge for safety reasons.
The march, organised by the Brian Tamaki-founded Freedom and Rights Coalition, exited the bridge on the southern side then gathered at Victoria Park for speeches. Meanwhile, it took hours longer for Auckland motorways to clear.
A spokeswoman for the marchers made no apology, saying disruption was a feature of protests. She also said the idea of "freedom" meant people could chose to isolate when sick and infectious with Covid-19 or circulate in the community.
Minister of Police Poto Williams echoed Goff's sentiment, saying the Government "shares the frustration of all New Zealanders that a relatively small group of protesters continue to disrupt people's lives".
She said it was up to police on how to handle protests. She said the Government's view was "be it Auckland or Wellington, that protests need to remain within the law".
"That principle has continually been breached by this group. The police have our confidence - those who continue to disrupt the lives of others in the middle of a pandemic, do not."
Goff spoke to police last week ahead of the protest. He said police had never told him they would keep protesters off the bridge - a contrast to police messaging ahead of the march.
The intent was to "try to discourage" trespass onto the bridge but it "depended on the size of the march".
Police escorting anti-mandate protesters across the Auckland Harbour Bridge - after telling them it was unlawful and they could not proceed. Photo / Brett Phibbs
He said he respected the police's operational independence and wouldn't comment on the decision. "They have made a judgment call, given the numbers of people, they would allow - with escorts - the protesters to march over the bridge."
Goff, a veteran protester, said he endorsed and agreed with the right for citizens to make a stand but to do so without disrupting the lives of fellow citizens.
The Herald had been told the protest at Parliament had led to around 100 frontline police being drawn to Wellington to bolster staff numbers there.
Asked if that impacted on its ability to keep protesters off the bridge, Goff said: "I've got no doubt their resources are stretched by that."
He said police had already experienced a draw on numbers to staff MIQ and borders with the protest at Parliament the latest assignment "to come at the expense of other duties police would normally carry out".
The Freedom and Rights Coalition march on its way to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Goff said the spread of Covid across the community saw most people vaccinated and wearing masks - "all the things the protesters in Wellington aren't doing".
But he had choice words for the protesters, speaking of "my frustration at the tactics of people who are bound up in their own cause but don't give a damn about the impact on others".
Goff contrasted the protesters' complaints with events unfolding in Ukraine where people were "losing their lives and their independence". "Before you start talking about freedom, look at what you've got."
Police Association president Chris Cahill said significant numbers of Auckland frontline staff had been drawn to Wellington to help manage the protest outside Parliament.
"Certainly you're talking up to 100 staff out of Auckland. When you're talking frontline staff, that has an impact."
Cahill said he was aware of staff from organised and serious crime investigations being pulled into supporting the police response to the protest. Police across a range of specialist areas had left behind work that "just builds up" - as it did when called to support MIQ and border checkpoints.
About 2000 people turned out for the Freedoms and Rights Coalition march over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Michael Craig
AA's Auckland spokesman Martin Glynn said the protest had caused "absolute chaos" and had "impacted on thousands of people".
"People (in Auckland) are fed up, just like the whole country, and worn down by Covid-19. People were just trying to go about their business and (the bridge protest) has had an impact on so many people - something I would hope the marchers had thought about first."
A spokeswoman for the Freedom and Rights Coalition said: "Protests are always going to be disruptive."
While 2000 people closed the Auckland Harbour Bridge with an unlawful crossing, a handful turned out at Aotea Square to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Photo / Alex Burton
She acknowledged people in Auckland were frustrated by traffic delays but said "a lot more people are frustrated by mandates".
"Everyone has had enough," she said. Asked if "freedom" included ignoring isolation procedures when infected and contagious, she said it was up to people to make their own choices.
"We would always encourage people to be responsible and to make responsible choices. Personally, I would expect they would make the choice to stay home."
