A Spinoff article, covering the disparate groups

[Praktica]

involved in the occupation at Parliament

https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/18-02-...occupation

[Lilith7]

involved in the occupation at Parliament

https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/18-02-...occupation

Interesting read. Most of those mentioned seem quite divorced from reality & some give the impression that they're far from well.

A woman in Singapore who tried to claim she was a 'sovereign citizen' was remanded to a mental health facility.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/coronav...VJOLDR3PE/


"In a video reportedly from the confrontation, the woman claimed she was "sovereign" and therefore was able to ignore the rules, according to Singapore's Straits Times.
"I'm a sovereign … This is something people are not going to know what it is," she said.
"It means I have nothing to do with the police, it means I have no contract with the police. They have no say over me."
A man, who is off-screen, responded: "This doesn't even make any sense. If you're a person in Singapore, you have to follow the rules of Singapore."


At a court hearing the next day, the newspaper reported the woman as saying she "extended my sovereign immunity".

"I am a living woman and that is my only capacity in this matter."
She was remanded at a mental health facility ahead of her next court appearance on May 19. A local Chinese newspaper reported she was a physiotherapist who had lived in Australia for 20 years.

The US-based Southern Poverty Law Centre has mentioned the sovereign citizens movement under a list of extremist organisations.

"Sovereign citizens believe that they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and they don't think they should have to pay taxes," the centre said.
It claimed the movement has its roots in white supremacy and outlandish conspiracy theories that are anti-Semitic in nature."

[Magoo]

Go to to YouTube and search sovereign citizens.
It would be funny were it not so tragic.

[Praktica]

I used to read James Randi's (a well known magician) forum, years ago. It was mainly Yanks and Canadians, and among them was a "sovereign citizen" called Robert Menard. He was an absolute whackjob. This was before much was heard of them here.

[harm_less]

The mention of individuals who have lost motivation for their original intents in protesting now that the true colours of many of their co-protestors are becoming apparent raises a question that has interested me for a while now; How many of the original protestors are still part of the protest now? We'll probably never find out I guess.

As there seems to be a revolving door operating in terms of those vacating versus new arrivals I suspect the profile of the protestors may have changed markedly, though of course the early arrivers would probably find it difficult to extract their vehicles from the massed parking lot that is clogging Wellington's CBD.

[Lilith7]

It would make things difficult, should one of those protesting get covid since it would spread quite quickly through their camp. And if some are leaving, then if that happens they'd spread it further.

[Olive]

It would make things difficult, should one of those protesting get covid since it would spread quite quickly through their camp. And if some are leaving, then if that happens they'd spread it further.

It would be very surprising if Omicron isn't already spreading through the occupation, and they are certainly not going to seek outside medical help for it.  The whole thing is so distressing.

I have a sense that one of the aspects that is delaying police action is an attempt to get the children away from the site.   Does anyone know if there are fewer kids there now?

[Lilith7]

It seems police aren't keen on having to drag people away.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/we...of-protest

"Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says he wants the protest to end safely.

He says enforcement of it risks creating much wider harm than the protest is creating. He says, currently, negotiation and de-escalation are the only ways to resolve the protest in the way police want to resolve it.

"Enforcement action taken by Police runs the real risk of injury to the public, escalation in numbers of people, and a transition away from a largely peaceful protest to violence."