Big police effort for rugby match

Press, 31 May 1985, Page 1

Big police effort for rugby match

A big police effort is expected tomorrow to provide security for the New Zealand-England rugby match at Lancaster Park. Details will be announced at a news conference this morning, but it is believed that almost every available policeman in Christchurch will be on duty tomorrow. Extra police from other centres are also expected. Addington Raceway has been used as a base for training for “Operation ’B5” and also to park police vehicles, which cannot fit into the car-park at the Christchurch Central Police Station. Mr Glen McLennan, a spokesman for the Christchurch anti-apartheid group, Coalition Against the Tour, said yesterday that he believed the police arrangements had reached the stage of “overkill.” C.A.T. hoped to have between 5000 and 8000 protesters on the march to Lancaster Park tomorrow, but the aim was to avoid confrontation, he said. “We don’t want a repeat of 1981. We don’t want to eyeball police lines or disrupt rugby patrons,” he said.

Mr McLennan said that the march, which would start at Cathedral Square, would contain an element of surprise. The surprise would result from the appearance of the marchers rather than any action that they took. The police were aware of what the march organisers had planned after a meeting earlier this week, he said.

Mr McLennan said that the aim of the march would be to protest against the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Union to tour South Africa. The Rugby Union, the “villains of the piece,” should not be allowed to determine New Zealand’s foreign policy. Matches played by the touring England rugby team have so far attracted only small protests. He felt that protests had now taken a different turn with more concentration on aspects such as economic boycotts on firms that sup-

ported rugby. The Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay, has made a plea to marchers and rugby patrons to “acknowledge the right of all citizens to put their views peacefully and to refrain from provocative actions.” Sir Hamish said that the council had approved an application by C.A.T. to hold tomorrow’s street march. The route which was requested and approved is the most direct from Cathedral Square to Lancaster Park and will include High Street and Ferry Road. The march will stop at the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Lancaster Street and return to Cathedral Square by the same route at 2.30 p.m. Sir Hamish said that the council had required the organisers to ensure that the safety of marchers be their primary concern. The organisers will provide marshals at main intersections and protesters must march to the left of the centre-line of streets.