March good-humoured

Press, 3 August 1981, Page 6

March good-humoured

About 800 anti-tour protesters attended Saturday’s incident-free and good-hum-oured march through the wet and cold streets of Christchurch. A 30 minute sit-in at the junction of Bealey Avenue, Harper Avenue, and Park Terrace produced none of the arrests or confrontation with the police which had accompanied similar actions on previous marches.

Rain poured down as marchers, accompanied by the large police contingent, moved off along Colombo Street to Victoria Street about 1.30 p.m. Some of the protesters wore hard hats or crash helmets.

The pervading good humour of the marchers, who traded jokes and friendly jibes with each other and the police, was not Impaired by the two persistent young men whp heckled and taunted throughout the march.

As the march approached Bealey Avenue, notices advising that a sit-in was planned ahead, were passed quietly through the protesters.

As the now tightly-packed procession approached . the Harper Avenue intersection, the senior police controller had only time to say into his walkie talkie, “They are deviating from their planned route,” before about 600 of the protesters had forged ahead and sat down. About 100 marchers, mostly those with young children, stood on one of the traffic islands nearby to give support,. ■ None of the waiting motorists tried to break through the kneeling road block, partly because the Coalition Against the Tour had organised members to position their cars at the head of each traffic lane facing the intersection.

During the 30 minute sit-in the ..police made no attempt to move the protesters and

directed traffic round them. Later the marchers moved off along Park Terrace led by the remaining pro-tour hecklers who tried unsuccessfully to direct a bus and several trucks into the marchers. The police watched them closely for the rest of the march. As the march passed Dorset -Street someone yelled, "Talk about police overkill,” and demonstrators waved and cheered at the dozen police cars, vans, and waggons concealed there packed with uniformed police. A couple of the senior policemen smiled. The only ugly incident of the march came as the procession passed Christ’s College on Rolleston Avenue. About 50 pupils most in uniform, but some in muddy rugby gear, swore, shouted and made obscene gestures. The boys’ obscenities were all but lost in the loud chants of “shame, and "racists.” The journey on Worcester

Street to the Square was uneventful apart from three occasions when the march leaders declined police invitations to cross intersections because red traffic lights faced, them. Back in the Square at 3.30 p.m. the now depleted march group sang a few more songs, watched an impromptu display of dancing, and dispersed. About 2000 anti-tour demonstrators marched through Auckland on Saturday to attend a peaceful protest rally at the Auckland Domain, reports the Press Association. Protesters marched the 8 km from Ponsbnby to the Domain to join a crowd of about 1500 already assembled. There were a few small exchanges with watching rugbv supporters during the rally, but the assembly was peaceful tnd the police praised the quiet, conduct of the group. '