Small protest cuts rush-hour traffic

Press, 3 September 1981, Page 1

Small protest cuts rush-hour traffic

Anti-tour protesters failed to disrupt Christchurch peakhour traffic to any extent last evening as two groups tried to block intersections in the one-way system.

The police and Ministry of Transport officers managed to keep traffic moving along Madras Street and Barbadoes Street where the groups were protesting. The protesters’ tactics were to keep on the move. In Madras Street they concentrated on three intersections: Hereford Street. Cashel Street, and Lichfield Street.

However, with only about 120 in the Madras Street group the protesters did not have the numbers to disrupt traffic completely. The police and traffic officers maintained a single-lane path for traffic through a blocked intersection, although traffic did bank up. No-one was arrested but the police kept a close eye on the disruptive tactics, which lasted from 4.45 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The chanting protesters would circle an intersection and then sit down. After more chanting they would stand and run to the next intersection, where the procedure would be repeated.

There was one incident in Madras Street when a motorist pulled up with a squeal of brakes in front of advancing protesters. They chanted at him and he was spoken to by the police.

The marches, which lasted about two hours, marked the match between the Spring-

boks and Bay of Plenty at Rotorua yesterday. The s'maller group of about 40 marched slowly to the intersection of Cashel Street and Barbadoes Street. Rush-hour traffic was hindered only slightly during the 10-minute sit-in and the police directed cars round the group. No arrest was made and the police made no attempt to move the protesters on.

The group then moved off down Barbadoes Street. Traffic was forced to bank up behind it until the protesters stopped again for another 10 minutes at the Lichfield Street intersection.

Cars and motor-cycles leaving the city centre were forced to detour through a nearby empty car-park to reach the clear part of Barbadoes Street.

The protesters turned along St Asaph Street to head back to Cathedral Square because as one marshal put it: “There is not much you can do with a group this size."

The protesters continued along St Asaph Street and joined the other group of marchers who had come down Madras Street. Disruptive activities and marches in Christchurch have been organised by the Coalition Against the Tour and HART for the last two weeks of the Springbok tour. The chairman of C.A.T., Mrs Mary Baker, said that all demonstrations would lead up to the final tour match on September 12 when it was hoped that the thousands who took part in the march on May 1 would show their final opposition to the tour by turning out to a “massive, peaceful march”. Gathering points for this march would be Cranmer Square and Latimer Square. Mrs Baker said that those not wanting to become involved in direct action during the activities could play a "significant role by supporting from the sidelines those being arrested.”