Black Lives Matter marches: Thousands of Kiwis peacefully protest against racism

“Black lives matter, indigenous lives matter, Muslim lives matter" is the ethos embraced by thousands taking part in protests across New Zealand.

Riots erupted in the United States after days of protests in the name of George Floyd, an African American man who died after being handcuffed and pleading for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

The officer in question, Derek Chauvin​, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

But New Zealand events on Monday were peaceful, despite several thousand people gathering in Auckland, and hundreds more in Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington.

In one of the largest demonstrations seen in central Auckland in several years, protestors overflowed from Aotea Square into Queen St.

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About 4.30pm, thousands of people arrived outside the American Consulate, took a knee and chanted “Are we next?” and “Black Lives Matter”.

The American flag appeared to have been removed from the US consulate building before the protest.

But the gathering remained entirely peaceful, with just a few police officers stationed at one end.

One organiser told the thousands gathered to go home peacefully.

“Aotearoa is done for today. But tomorrow the fight starts again.”

Kainee Simone, originally from the US, said she was blown away by the thousands-strong turnout.

She told the crowd it was easy to think police brutality was not an issue in New Zealand because it was not as widespread or as visible as in the US, and because police weren’t as routinely armed, but that was changing fast.

Simone called on the crowd to listen to black, brown and Māori people when they described discrimination by New Zealand police.

One man, Redelond Tsounga, originally from the Republic of Congo, told the crowd he often experienced discrimination.

Police had repeatedly gone out of their way to stop him while he was driving his Audi, he said.

The 34-year-old said when he and his then-girlfriend experienced a house fire, he was asked by an officer where he got the car and how he could afford it.

“I felt oppressed.”

Police were conspicuous by their absence at Monday's Auckland event but organiser Pharaoh Swami reminded the crowd it was a peaceful, passive gathering.

Swami asked those attending to comply if police intervened.

Mixed martial arts star Israel Adesenya described the discrimination he faced in upmarket Auckland suburbs while shopping.

“They’re trying to militarise the New Zealand police. Let’s squash that s**t straight away,” he added.

As well as talks, the Auckland event included a karakia from a Ngāti Whātua representative and a minute's silence for George Floyd.

In Wellington, more than 100 people marched on Parliament.

An official candlelight vigil is also planned in the capital this evening.

CHRISTCHURCH SOLIDARITY AGAINST RACISM

In Christchurch, more than 500 people have gathered to send a message that "the world will not accept racism".

Organiser Will Hunter, a businessman and co-founder of the non-religious church group Sunday Assembly Christchurch, said the issue of racism and violence was "very dear to our hearts".

"I was here in [Cathedral] Square during the [March 15] mosque shootings and more than ever we need to show that we do not stand for any form of racism in our country."

Among the speakers was Josephine Varghese, a Phd student at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at University of Canterbury.

She told the crowd that as well as being a memorial for George Floyd, the event was a protest against the dehumanisation of colonised people everywhere.

"We demand racial and economic justice," she said. "Black lives matter, indigenous lives matter, Muslim lives matter."

Among those who braved the rain to lend their support to the Christchurch protest was student Theo Nankivell, who attended with friends.

"We just want to stand in solidarity with those protesting the United States to end police brutality against people of colour," he said.

"In a similar vein, because we have the same prejudices here in our criminal justice system and with our police, we want to protest the trial of armed police patrols that has been going on for the last six months."

FEAR PROTESTS COULD SPREAD COVID-19

Many protesters were not wearing masks, as recommended by Kiwi microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles, who said people coming together in large numbers and shouting or singing were the perfect combination for allowing Covid-19 to spread.

Gatherings of more than 100 people are still banned on Monday.

On Twitter, Wiles encouraged people to minimise the risk by wearing a facemask and to not attend if they felt even slightly unwell.

People could also show solidarity by staying at home and donating to an organisation such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which pays bail for those who can't afford it, or supporting New Zealand's Arms Down movement, she said.

New Zealand has just one active case of coronavirus, but wants to avoid a sudden spike as lockdown restrictions are eased, as seen in countries such as South Korea.

Organisers also encouraged attendees to use masks, gloves and hand sanitiser, and to maintain social distancing while registering their attendance.

CONCERN OVER ARMING NZ POLICE

While the protests were mostly focused on the death of George Floyd and other unarmed African Americans in the US, they also aimed at raising attention about police in New Zealand.

The Green Party said "state-based discrimination" was not constrained to American borders.

"We must acknowledge that here in New Zealand, at every single step of the justice system, Māori face increased discrimination”, justice spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said.

“This means that Māori experience more arrests, more prosecutions, longer jail sentences, more brutality, and deaths, than Pākehā in similar circumstances."

Ghahraman urged people to speak out against the Armed Response Team, when consultation on the trial was made public.

Auckland protest organisers said the trial resulted in three Māori or Pasifika people being shot and killed by police in the past few months and that there was a problem with "militarisation" of the New Zealand police.

'GET UP AND MARCH WITH US'

New Zealand choreographer Parris Goebel was among those who urged Kiwis to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

"It is easy to sit back and watch all of this on your phone from the other side of the world, but will you get up and march with us?" Goebel earlier asked on social media.

WELLINGTON

In Wellington, the march on Parliament was meant to be replaced by a vigil.

The event was changed because a march did not "fully encompass the experiences that black people are feeling right now", organiser Charlie Myer said in a social media post.

However, more than 100 Black Lives Matter protesters still walked from Frank Kitts Park to Parliament in Wellington on Monday afternoon.

They chanted the names of African American victims of police brutality, told stories and shared their experiences.