Thousands March in NZ’s Capital Against Vaccine Mandates, Lockdowns

Protesters attend a Freedom and Rights Coalition demonstration to demand an end to COVID-19 restrictions and mandatory vaccination outside the Parliament House building on Nov. 9, 2021, in Wellington, New Zealand. Neil Sands/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of New Zealanders have mobilised in a peaceful demonstration in the capital city Wellington, to voice their opposition to government-mandated health restrictions and vaccine mandates. Authorities have responded with extra security around the Beehive, New Zealand’s (NZ) Parliament, on Nov. 9.

Protestors of the Freedom and Rights Coalition gathered against a range of COVID-19-related compliance and health restrictions, holding placards, which read “Freedom,” “Kiwis are not Lab Rats,” and “We are voices for Freedom.”