Hecklers disrupt campaign meeting by Mr Burdon

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 1

Hecklers disrupt campaign meeting by Mr Burdon

Hecklers shouting allegations about the wages paid to staff at the Meadow Mushrooms factory of the member of Parliament for Fendalton, Mr Philip Burdon, disrupted his campaign meeting last evening. A spokesman for the group of about 12 young people who continually shouted, threw darts, and moved about in St Mary’s Church Hall, Church Lane, said the group had gone to the meeting to disrupt it.

Ms Melanie Parrish, who described herself as someone who likes to speak for the working people and a member of the Fendalton electorate, said none of the group were Meadow Mushrooms employees. Before entering the hall, where about 300 people had gathered to hear Mr Burdon and the former member for

Rangiora, Mr Derek Quigley, the group had distributed pamphlets, published by the Labourers’ Union, about the wages paid to Meadow Mushrooms employees. The hecklers at times drowned out the speakers with a stream of comments. The second speaker, Mr Quigley, had more hecklers to contend with. The rest of the audience, mostly National Party supporters, were at first amused and then angered by the interruptions to the meeting. One audience member left the hall to call the police. A policeman arrived soon after and stood in the corner for the rest of the meeting. A poster, saying “Up: unemployment, prices. Down: our standard of living. We can’t afford another three

years,” was pasted at the front of the hall by one heckler. It was torn down by a person in the audience. Mr Burdon gained one of his loudest bursts of applause when he told one heckler that she was a “visible example of the indulgence shown by taxpayers to some recipients of the unemployment benefit.” After the meeting, Ms Parrish said the group were not supporters of the Labour Partv.

“I’m not going to vote. It only encourages them,” said another of the group. Several of the group were also present and heckled the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, at his meeting in the Christchurch Town Hall last Friday evening. Some of the group had also taken part in the “dawn raid” at Mr Burdon’s house on Tuesday morning to protest against the proposed Immigration Bill, Ms Parrish said.