Truck protests are spreading as quick as Omicron itself. The protests are variously towards vaccine mandates, ongoing Covid-related restrictions and face masks. driedfruit are certainly serving to to galvanise a weary global citizens after 2 years of lockdowns and precautionary mandates. But even the Canadians haven’t stooped to the sheer terror inflicted on NZ truckies and other protesters who’ve gathered outside the NZ parliament in Wellington.
Starting with the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Quebec, Canada, the idea of blocking streets and essential truck commerce routes is becoming an international phenomenon. There are now similar protests in Paris, Bangkok, Canada and, now, Wellington in New Zealand.
But NZ authorities have found a new and harsh weapon to make use of in opposition to the truckers – Barry Manilow. At least a loud and repeated playlist of his hits on a 15 minute rotation blasted out at high volume. They’ve also thrown in the dance hit ‘Macarena’ to combine it up with ‘Mandy’ and ‘Could It Be Magic’ to help repel the truck rallies.
In response the truckies are firing back with their own musical weapon, Twisted Sister and “were not going to take it’.
Whilst the NZ authorities are resisting rolling out their riot police and squads of uniformed policeman to maneuver on the protests, they unleashed the raw energy of a Barry Manilow energy ballad to do the onerous work for them.
It seems Barry’s huge songs weren’t as big a deterrent as they had been hoping (some Manilow fanboys in the ranks of New Zealand’s truck driving fraternity?), so Parliamentary speaker Trevor Mallard obtained the police to activate the sprinklers to help “dampen” the protests in Wellington.
But the protesters merely dug their own trenches and rerouted the irrigation methods (Barry did do a rendition of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ which may have complimented slo-mo video of the truckers of their wet T-Shirts frolicking beneath the sprinklers, however no…).
Instead the protesters trucked in bales of hay to absorb the water. Mr. Ballard also took duty for the heavy-handed and brutal use of the Manilow ballads.
So if Barry Manilow can’t deter these persistent truck protests, WHAT probably could?
The protest, inspired by the Canada truck convoys and protests, began final Tuesday, however the numbers waned as the week progressed.
Last Thursday NZ police arrested 122 folks, charging a lot of them with trespassing or obstruction.
But numbers have picked up over the weekend once more (presumably BYO ear plugs).
According to the NZ Herald, among the protesters’ grievances is the requirement in NZ that some employees must be vaccinated in opposition to Covid-19, including academics, medical doctors, nurses, police and army personnel.
New Zealand has been spared the worst of worldwide Covid pandemic after it closed its borders early, implemented strict lockdowns, and has maintained an ‘almost’ zero-Covid policy to restrict the spread of the virus.
The southern nation has reported solely fifty three Covid-related deaths among its population of 5 million.
As Barry Manilow once said of his personal music… “I assume my music is like anchovies – some individuals like it, some folks get nauseous.”