Budget Day ‘carkoi’ protests delayed traffic on Auckland and Tauranga motorways ahead of a hikoi on Parliament.
Protesters earlier took the roads to oppose government policies toward Māori, ‘activating’ for today’s National Māori Action Day - and caused traffic delays around the country.
It’s the second time Māori have mobilised on a national scale with the first hīkoi taking place last December.
The national protest coincides with today’s budget announcements.
That is an interesting point.
What is the point of protest?
Isn’t it to be noticed, so that the issue that you are protesting gets attention.
What is a valid way to protest, to garner the most attention to your issue?
Disrupting normal activities seems to be the best way, I remember when I was at uni, there was a sit-in in the admin building that prevented the admin staff from doing their work, is this valid? It certainly got a lot of attention.
The question you should be asking is, how does this help the issue, rather than the cop out of “gaining attention”.
If your method of protest is to disrupt the lives of people just trying to get to work, they will certainly be aware of your cause, but they will likely think you’re a bunch of nutters.
You don’t need awareness, you need support.