Crowds dispersed after impassioned speeches in an unprecedented day of protest outside the country’s seat of power
Tens of thousands of Maori demonstrated outside New Zealand’s parliament in Wellington on Tuesday to protest against a bill that critics say strikes at the core of the country’s founding principles and curtails Maori rights.
The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti march started 9 days ago in northern New Zealand and crossed the length of the island in one of the country’s largest demonstrations in decades.
See highlights from the course:
Māori protest in New Zealand against a bill proposing equal rights for all citizens, which they argue undermines Indigenous rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi:
— Źeus 🧌 (@i_zeeus) November 19, 2024
The traditional Māori peace walk, or hīkoi, culminated outside parliament on Tuesday, where protesters appealed to lawmakers to withdraw the controversial bill.
According to the CCN, the Treaty reinterpreted the existing one signed 184 years ago between British colonists and Maori.
The legislation is not expected to pass as most parties have vowed to vote against it, but its introduction has caused political turmoil and reignited a debate over indigenous rights in the country under the most right-wing government in years.
The grand march
Huge crowds marched through New Zealand’s capital as part of the hīkoi, with people waving flags and signs, alongside members of the Maori community in traditional dress.
Police said about 55,000 people, a significant number in a country of about 5 million people, marched on parliament to oppose the legislation.
Attendees described the march as a “genealogical” moment. “Today is a show of kotahitanga (unity), solidarity and being one as a people and standing up for our rights as indigenous Maori,” protester Tukukino Royal told Reuters.
Last week, parliament was briefly suspended after Māori lawmakers staged a haka to stop a vote on the bill.
What is the Treaty of Waitangi?
New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi is a document signed by the British colonial regime and 500 Maori chiefs in 1840, enshrining the principles of co-government between Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders.
The treaty is considered one of the country’s founding documents, and the interpretation of its clauses still guides law and policy today.
Two versions of the text – in Maori, or Te Tiriti, and in English – were signed, but each contains different language that has long fueled debate over the definition and interpretation of the treaty.
Disapprovals
Act Party leader David Seymour, the architect of the Treaty Principles Bill, was booed in the House of Commons today by tens of thousands protesting against his controversial bill.
As the crowd chanted, Seymour returned to the Hive with his deputies, later saying he had been advised not to confront protesters for fear of inciting “bad behavior.”
Police have warned of more disruption as the hīkoi return to Waitangi Park before protesters start heading home.
Source :Skai
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