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Tinfoil hats wreck protest credibility

The protests in the grounds of parliament started out with good intent and as an example of how it is important to stand up for your beliefs and freedoms.

Sadly however, it seems that the "problem element", which includes a fair number of deluded folk of sub-average IQ, eventually turned the whole thing into a farce.

Yesterday was a sad day for the right to peaceful protest and freedom of speech/expression in this country. We saw that a toxic minority within the ranks of protesters had grown to outnumber those who understand that this is not a license to be a dick-head.

When the final action to remove protesters was started, the toxic element completely destroyed the credibility of those with good intent. Shame, shame,shame on them.

The key to peaceful protest can be found in the name: "peaceful".

It would appear that the tinfoil hats donned by the idiot-element must have caused severe brain injuries to those who weren't over-endowed with intelligence in the first place.

That some felt it was okay to set fire to tents, trees and even "the slide" which is a feature of the area shows how little regard these people actually have for the rights and property of others.

What a bunch of hypocrites they are for demanding their freedoms and rights whilst actively ignoring those of others. Sorry fools -- freedoms and rights are a two way street and not the exclusive property of someone who thinks a tinfoil hat is an essential piece of headwear.

The sad thing is that those who engaged in peaceful protest at this location have had their credibility ripped to shreds by this unruly mob of mindless cretins and that's not good. It gives "the powers that be" justification for actually further eroding our rights to protest and is a a shot in their own feet when it comes to preserving freedoms.

Peaceful protest, passive resistance and other actions are fine when you have a cause or feel that your rights are in jeopardy. Violence, destruction of property and endagering others is not in the least bit acceptable.

To be fair and throw a little balance into the discussion however, I strongly object to the claims that protesters were arming themselves with plywood shields.

Since when has a "shield" been a weapon? And, weren't police the first to bring out their riot shields?

The media could have done better in their reporting of this move by protesters to "arm" themselves, although I wonder if I spotted a little Freudian slip on the part of RadioNZ:

From a PR perspective, I suspect that the bad apples within the ranks of protesters have badly soured most Kiwi's view of this protest. It started out with good intentions and had a suprisingly high level of support up and down the country. Today however, I suspect that most people have lost that respect and everyone has been tarred with the bad behaviour of those who set fires and showed scant regard for private and public property.

In future, protest organisers would be well advised to distance themselves from those who are only there to create trouble or further their own wholy unrelated causes.

What do readers think?

Was the end to this protest an unmitigated disaster for the image of those who simply wished to protest against the Covid19 mandates in a peaceful fashion?

Could we see what was going to happen as soon as the idiots with tinfoil hats started appearing in the crowd?

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