The cops need to charge Brian Tamaki for that protest at the weekend for one primary reason: social cohesion.
The Prime Minister is absolutely right. That was a slap in the face for Aucklanders who have been following very strict rules for 7 weeks now.
I can’t even begin to imagine how infuriating it was for business owners who are losing their livelihoods and homes to watch Tamaki thumb his nose at these rules.
Many people hate the rules, but we follow them anyway for the greater good.
It is extremely damaging to social cohesion and the willingness of people to keep following the rules if we witness people like Brian Tamaki getting away with flagrantly disobeying them.
I think the cops made a massive misjudgement in trying to take a softer ‘education first’ approach with lockdown rule breakers.
They ignored the Black Lives Matter protests, they’ve laid no charges as far as we know for the gang tangi in West Auckland on Friday, and now this.
Instead, they gave the protest their tacit endorsement by meeting with Tamaki beforehand and negotiating a compromise for all attendees to wear masks.
I think they have completely underestimated the rage of Kiwis over this.
Social media is furious and more than 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for police to charge Tamaki.
My guess is that the cops decided it was better to take a light touch at the protest because arresting Tamaki might only turn him into a martyr and harden the attitudes of his followers who are already sounding very anti-vax and anti-mask and anti-authority.
But what the cops are risking is frustrating potentially many, many times more people who’ve watched this unfold and feel even more disheartened about compliance with the rules.
Auckland – and in fact the country really – has a long road of it with restrictions for some time yet.
If the cops want to increase the number of people who stay on board with these rules, they need to make an example of him and charge him.
And then they need to charge every other person who is caught breaking the rules from here on in.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
6 comments:
Absolutely agree Heather.
The entire country is outraged.
A few weeks ago, a man in at a Christchurch Countdown carpark was pepper-sprayed by police and subdued and handcuffed by 2 police using the (George Floyd style)knee on the neck.
His crime:- not wearing a face mask, even though he had an exemption.
Now we have woke Andrew Coster cosying up to Tamaki and chatting about how Tamaki and his hordes are going to be allowed to break the law as long as they do it Andrew's way.
And not forgetting the BLM gathering, where the police did not even bother to use loudhailers to advise the crowd.
Heather, I totally support Brian on this one. If we don't have politicians speaking up for us we need a few brave people like him.
Seriously, the people at his rally will not cause any more damage to society than those who wear masks at cafes and then take them off to eat. Those others who flaunt the rules, like a few we have had reported in the MSM but have not been subjected to the same criticism as he was. Those who front the press conferences wearing masks and then take them off to talk.
It is totally illogical to think that unless we adhere to draconian measure 24/7, we will never prevent the spread of this virus.
Fresh air is probably the best thing those picnickers could have.
Sadly when Suss Wiles gets away with it(with Government support) and then various Gangs get away with it then public discipline becomes questionable.
Right or wrong the issue is how much can the public take of differing rhetoric and seeming differing rules for differing people.
Tamaki clearly has his own agenda but he did speak to a larger audience who are dazed and confused as much by this Governments propoganda as the Government is itself dazed and confused.
Yep Heather you’ve got it right.
This Brian Tamaki is absolutely nothing but the leader of a cult who is doing his best to have all the luxuries at the expense of his poor gullible followers. He is obviously of the same narcissistic bent as Donald Trump. He is under the impression that he is God too. In fact Tamaki’s actions on the weekend were not a lot different to Trumps action in inciting the riot at the Capitol. Free speech is one thing but blatantly breaking the law and encouraging others to do the same has to have consequences. His actions in bringing out gangs in his support pretty much says it all.” Lock him up!”
Absolutely disagree Heather.
NZ needs more stasi action as much as it needs more Covid.
Mr Tamaki didn't force people to go to his rally, the people went there voluntarily because they (imho) have noted that the goddess of Ao-whatever-the-hell-it-is is treating New Zealand as if it's a tinpot, racist dictatorship and the large number of the easily deluded and the gutless who disgraced our country last October won't admit their error.
I note a report saying a petition to censor/cancel Tamaki has attracted 60,000 signatures.
I suspect a petition congratulating the protesters would attract ten times that number given the same amount of publicity.
Heather - you are totally wrong. Brian Tamaki has the right as does every other citizen of this country to protest and disagree on any subject and especially to disagree with government.
As with many of others you seem to confuse the fact that you dislike this person and what he does or doesn't do with his right to protest.
Thanks goodness in our society the decision to prosecute a person doesn't depend in any way on public opinion- that is just a form of verbal lynching and you make yourself party to that.
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