Police in New Zealand arrested 120 people on Thursday in a protest outside the National Parliament in Wellington, which left two law enforcement officers injured, the Wellington police department said in a statement.
Report informs citing TASS that law enforcement bodies intend to tighten measures further.
The protest at the New Zealand Parliament began on February 8, when people from across the country parked hundreds of cars, trucks, and motorcycles on the streets adjacent to the Parliament and took to the lawn in front of the building. They dubbed their event "Convoy 2022", following the example of Canadian truckers, whose protests began in the North American country in January of this year. On Wednesday, protesters tried to break into the parliament building but were pushed back by the police, who arrested three activists at that time. Later, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recommended that the protesters abide by the rules and leave the territory of Parliament, noting that not all New Zealanders share their opinion.
At the end of January, New Zealand switched to a red (maximum) alert level due to the spread of the omicron strain of coronavirus inside the country. The restrictions prescribed by this level are not too strict and mainly concern the number of visitors to various institutions and participants in events, while masks and social distance remain mandatory.