Potential for violence if Ardern had talked to Parliament protesters … – Stuff

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns worry that engaging with Parliamentary protesters could set a precedent was a valid concern, experts say, with her presence having the potential to inflame the situation.

However, some say there should have been some engagement with protesters, who spent weeks on Parliaments lawn, ending with rioting and fire.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released its report on Thursday scrutinising the police response to the occupation around Parliament from February 8 to March 2, 2022 after receiving more than 1900 complaints.

The IPCA report stated that protest leaders wanted to meet with Cabinet Ministers or MPs, telling police, other agencies and media it was one of their main aims.

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On February 16, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster asked if then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would meet with the protesters.

Her considerations against engaging with protesters were that a section of the protest was not new and had already raised their issues, there was no designated leadership and there were violent and threatening elements.

She said after Covid-19 lockdowns were lifted, certain people began following and protesting her. She had tried to talk to them twice but found it impossible to do so because she was shouted down, abused and had to withdraw in fear for her safety, the report stated.

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Jacinda Ardern held a media conference as police continued to clear out protesters and their camping gear from around Parliament.

Ardern also did not want to set a precedent that if people occupied Parliaments grounds the prime minister would talk to them, and all MPs had agreed to not engage directly with protesters.

Former lead crisis negotiator Lance Burdett said there was the potential of violence if the prime minister had gone out to talk to protesters.

However, someone else should have engaged with protesters, such as a senior MP, to hear what they have to say.

Its about getting in early, talking with them, finding out what they want, dont give them what they want ... Its about coming to a mutual arrangement.

Burdett said being more open in negotiating a crisis helped situations.

STUFF

Stuff visual journalists were in the thick of the action for all 23 days of the occupation of Parliament's grounds and the surrounding streets. Here's some of their best work.

He suggested the Government could have been more transparent about looking at loosening Covid restrictions at the time, which could fill the void.

Disinformation project director Kate Hannah said there was a really difficult balance that needed to be found in engaging and dealing with the protesters.

People living in Wellington, working in Wellington ... kids going to school, felt very, very unsafe. People ... were really, really scared, we cant really discount that.

Hannah said to a certain extent, the majority of people whipping up the crowds ... and posting from outside of Wellington, the narrative benefited from Ardern not engaging, and seeing the Speaker (then Trevor Mallard) as an opponent.

It would have been far less engaging if people had sat down and had a krero.

She said it was a very real concern that Ardern talking to protesters could create a precedent, and had they had been successful in forcing someone to speak to them, that would become a reusable tactic.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

President of the NZ Police Association Chris Cahill said the opportunity to talk with protesters has got to be preferable to what we ended up with on that day.

Hannah said realistically, there was not a senior member of Parliament of any side who would have been able to take on that role of engaging with protesters.

As a collective, the distinguishing feature was mass distrust of Parliament.

She said there was a possibility there could have been a community leader or someone else with mana who may have been able to take up the role, but noted the stance of mana whenua.

The major iwi in Wellington, Te tiawa and Ngti Toa, said they did not support the protest and were worried it could harm Mori.

President of the NZ Police Association Chris Cahill told RNZ the opportunity to talk with protesters has got to be preferable to what we ended up with on that day, referring to the last and most violent day of the protest.

You need to at least give people a chance. There were people there that needed to be listened to, they should have been listened to.

You should try everything first, and I dont believe it was done because politics overruled common sense at times.

Former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters while no longer working at Parliament, made a brief appearance at the protest, visiting various tents and talking to protesters.

The government and politicians refusal to talk is just going to make things much worse, he tweeted at after visiting.

On Friday, he wrote on social media, Chris Cahill is right.

The violence could have been avoided if any one of the sitting MPs had the courage and common sense to leave their parliamentary office to just go and listen to the people, who as the IPCA report said, had a legal right to be there.

Expecting the prime minister and other parliamentarians to engage with a group that were displaying threatening behaviour was a question we haven't had to grapple with in the past, Hannah said.

We need to reflect that some people did expect the prime minister and others turn up and speak to people who made violent threats and continued to make.

Hannah said there needed to be refection on how to keep those in Parliament safe, while being able to keep the accessibility of New Zealands Parliament.

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Potential for violence if Ardern had talked to Parliament protesters ... - Stuff