The reported assaults on police at the protest these last two mornings are completely unacceptable.
None of us are going to be ok with protestors throwing faeces at police, and spraying officers with what they suspect is acid.
Unless that kind of nonsense stops, the protest will lose any public support that it has, and I suspect, frankly, it has already lost a great deal of public sympathy.
All of that support that the protestors gained last week by turning the thing into a festival rather than a freak show, all of the credibility it might’ve gained from the likes of Russell Coutts visiting and the likes of Timber boss Marty Verry admitting he’s funding some of it.
All of that has probably evaporated.
Because it is intolerable to Kiwis to see cops who’re busting their butts already get treated like that.
Now what we’re hearing is that there has been a change in who’s effectively running the protest.
First week, you had the nutters in charge.
Second week – which is last week – the more sane, normal Kiwis took over and forced the nutters out, which is when you saw the better behaviour.
And this week, the nutters have forced their way back in again.
What these people need to understand is that modern-day protests are PR battles.
They are fighting for the support of the public, you and I.
By doing what they’ve done they’ve started losing that PR battle.
On the other hand, their opponents are formidable and experienced.
This week, the cops have clearly stepped up their PR campaign.
They’re clearly going to go public with every misstep the protestors make, from throwing the faeces through to rumoured sexual assaults within the camp.
And – this is notable – they’re also filming their operations now and giving that footage to the TV stations, which makes them look good because they look slick and disciplined.
The government's been running a PR campaign against the protest this entire time, trying to paint them like ‘ferals’ and a ‘river of filth’ – actual words from government MPs.
And frankly, the protestors are playing into that perfectly.
Making predictions is a bold move, but I’m prepared to make this prediction.
The protestors are going to lose this PR battle, and they’re going to make it very hard to maintain much long-term support.
Unless they can rein in the nutters and stop them attacking the cops.
I suspect that as long as the nutters are there, they won't be reined in.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
8 comments:
And who is coming up with all this evidence against the protesters?
You said it with PR. Govt and police plants.
Would you now trust this government that uses mallards tactics. Would you trust a government that lies flat out like a lizard drinking. How many of those arrested have been agitaters as the police admit they insert? With so many police on the ground they should have the ability to identiy any offenders.
This whole situation is starting to stink like a planned operation to discredit the peaceful protesters.
The police need to look very closely at where their directives are coming from. It will be them left holding the bag and what's in it wont be pretty.
Heather, Heather, Heather!
What a complete load of bollocks!
For accurate reporting visit Chantelle Bakers live feed. She isn't trying to influence people just show what's happening in reality.She puts the MSM to shame.
Photos please to back up claims, I have seen video on NZ Telegraph site showing an older protester being badly assaulted by the police. This sort of thing is bound to happen in a protest.
Then Stuff covered the assault with a " sticker" when posting it on the internet.
Did you report that the Race Relations Conciliator had to instruct the police to let the port- a- loo man in to empty the port- loos. So much for kindness!
Accuracy please or don't bother reporting.
Heather - You are (as usual) being taken in by the government controlled media- perhaps not allthat strange.... if these things actually happened and I seriously doubt it, then its a just a few bad eggs . How can you expect the good people there to police that themsleves?
We now know that the bulk of those protestors come from the Left. The media has deliberately tried to call this protest some kind of sinister far right attack on democracy. The media is losing the PR battle.
Two recent reports on the main news were:-
"A protester's car hurtles into police" - the footage showed a car driving slowly then pulling up beside them.
"Police have suspected acid thrown at them" - no follow up on this. Did journos check with the local hospital that this was the case? Then we see footage of police pepper-spraying the crowd...and each other, causing officers to be led away in distress. Perhaps this is the "acid" incident which was never confirmed.
Well done Heather. You're acting exactly like the rest of the MSM. Too scared or inconvenienced to actually report first-hand and perfectly happy to parrot every media report you hear.
Are there some "nutters" at the protest? Definitely...just like every other protest. But when the public can easily see through some of the sensational and over-hyped media claims it shouldn't be too much to ask that you do your job and report the actual story.
In case you're not sure, the actual story is usually not the one reported on the MSM.
I heard that the "faeces " incident came from a police officer, who when asked a question replied "they threw some sh#@ at us". To my mind no different to politicians spouting continual sh@# every day. The word is just a generic term used by all and sundry.
Well said Heather. Having suffered from a soupçon of these freeloaders' insults and aggression, whilst traversing Molesworth Street, on my way to an appointment last Tuesday, I can vouch for the vitriol which they spew on those of us, who perhaps do not support Comrade St. Cindy the Divine and her Incompetents but, personally, choose to wear masks.
Baseless allegations from Heather, unprofessional yet the standard of nz media these days.
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