Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in New Zealand to express opposition to the new government’s policies towards Indigenous people.
Protesters gathered in front of the parliament and on motorways on Tuesday after the minor Te Pati Maori party called for nationwide demonstrations against the newly elected right-leaning government.
The protests coincided with the opening session of New Zealand’s 54th parliament, following elections in October that ended six years of governance by the centre-left Labour Party.
In a breach of protocol, Te Pati Maori, which holds six seats in parliament, swore oaths of allegiance to the upcoming generation and the Treaty of Waitangi, a colonial-era founding document between the British and the Maori people, before pledging allegiance to King Charles.
The new National Party-led coalition has pledged to review positive discrimination policies, change the names of some departments from the Maori language to English and strip legislation of references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Credit: aljazeera.com
