Motorway blocked

Press, 27 July 1981, Page 3

Motorway blocked

PA Wellington , Motorway traffic in and out of Wellington was brought to a standstill for almost two hours on, Saturday when 1500 deipohstrators marched on to both motorways and sat down. The march, organised by a coalition of HART and C.O.S.T. began at the Citizens War Memorial near Parliament Buildings and accompanied by a small police contingent wound its way on to the motorway. From there it

split into two groups. One remained on the Hutt motorway blocking all lanes, and the other marched on to the Hutt Road, cutting the city’s other access route. The police made no effort to halt either group entering the roads.

Inspector A. J. Leslie said he was pleased with the organisers for asking marchers to follow marshals’ instructions. He said the march had been orderly throughout. One man was arrested after a truck window had been broken.

In a final incident, a protour woman sat down on Aotea Quay forcing the 1500 demonstrators to march round her on their way back. “They have had their say, I’ll have mine,” she said.