Protesters Block All Blacks Hotel

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32322, 13 June 1970, Page 1

Protesters Block All Blacks Hotel

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 12.

Hundreds of chanting, jeering protesters carrying antitour placards tonight blocked access to Wellington’s Grand Hotel, where 30 AU Blacks are staying before leaving for South Africa tomorrow. Police arrested more than 30 people, mainly students.

Police cordoned off the hotel's entrance as the All Blacks attended a farewell dinner given by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union. Police said later the protesters had broken faith.

At the height of tonight’s demonstration outside the hotel traffic in Willis Street was temporarily stopped until police forced room for single-lane traffic. Senior-Sergeant R. A. Moodie, in charge of police operations tonight, said there was a hooligan element among anti-tour groups and pro-tour demonstrators.

The melee was a complete breakdown in police-demon-strator understanding, he said.

The New Zealand University Students’ Association president (Mr P. Grocott), said in a statement later that instead of arresting the leaders of the march, who were obviously responsible, the police arbitarily selected individuals from the crowd.

The protesters staged a sitin outside the hotel and began chanting slogans. When three members of the Canterbury Rugby team, in Wellington to play a representative match tomorrow, appeared on the hotel balcony they were loudly booed. The demonstrators quickly drew a large gallery of passers-by who lined the footpaths shouting pro-tour slogans. ■ ■ '

Moved Away The demonstrators moved away from the hotel at 7.55 p.m. and marched along Willis Street after telling police they were returning to Victoria University. Instead of marching to the university they turned into Manners Street and announced they intended marching on Government House.

Police said the demonstrators had failed to keep faith

about their movements and would have to be stopped. Police formed up across the road and made their first arrests as the protesters tried to march through their ranks. Unable to pass the police lines the protesters returned to Willis Street.

When police blocked their efforts to march back to the Grand Hotel the demonstrators sat down in the street again and chanted anti-tour slogans. Police immediately moved in and began removing protesters from the street Paint bombs were thrown and a fire engine raced to the sit-in scene after a smoke bomb exploded. Late tonight between 300 and 500 antl-tour protesters had arrived at Victoria University’s Student Union building. Mr Grocott said a big contingent of Auckland students was expected to join them tonight. Tomorrow morning they would be transported to Wellington Airport for the departure of the All Black team.

Lawyers Thanked

At the dinner at the Grand Hotel, the manager of the All Blacks (Mr R. L. Burk) expressed gratitude at the “hundreds of people” who had sent messages of good will to the team. The captain, B. J. Lochore, said: “I hope you will be proud of us and I would like to thank the lawyers who got four of us out of difficulty." He also thanked the police for the courteous co-opera-tion they had shown the team.

Many of the protesters sat down on the footpath and the road outside the hotel. The demonstration lasted half an hour. In Auckland, about 1000 students, many carrying placards condemning the AllBlack tour, left the University of Auckland at 1.15 p.m. to walk through Queen • Street. They were quiet and

orderly as they walked fourabreast down Wellesley Street into Queen Street. At the Maori statue outside the Chief Post Office a black candle was lit in protest at the tour. A black wreath was laid at the statue’s base. An inscription read: “In memory of New Zealand’s international reputation.” A group of University of Waikato students, who had run a relay from Hamilton during the night, jogged down Queen Street to light the solitary candle.