’Bok tour cannot now be stopped — protest leader

Press, 25 August 1981, Page 3

’Bok tour cannot now be stopped — protest leader

PA Napier A Hawkes Bay protest leader, Mr Allan Ruffell. believes that the anti-apartheid movement in New Zealand can no longer hope to stop the Springbok tour. “It is quite impractical to think that the Springboks will just up and go home.” said Mr Ruffell. a retired school teacher and spokesman for the Hawke's Bay umbrella protest group. Bay'' Against the Tour.

But he said that protest action must continue. “What we must do now is ensure that such a tour never happens again.”, he said. The Springboks spent a quiet day in Napier yesterday in preparation for their match at McLean Park today against the New Zealand Maoris. Only a handful of protesters turned up at the team's training run yesterday morning and they were kept well clear by the police.

During the afternoon the Springboks toured round Napier, several of them strolling through the shopping area. Protest leaders were meeting last evening in the city to discuss tactics for today’s demonstration. A march is planned on the match venue and clergymen have organised a prayer vigil which is expected to continue throughout the afternoon. A HART spokesman. Mr Tom Johnson, said that, pro-

test groups planned to “create a stir" today but that the demonstration would be in line with HART's policy of civil disobedience. There was no intention of crossing police lines, he said, if the police "stuck to our agreement” about marshalling points. "We want to create a stir — but not so much that we will lose support-,” Mr Johnson said. “But there are lots of variables. It is a Maori match.” he said.