Who is popular today?

The government couldn’t attempt to meet their demands because they were endless and, frankly, psychoticNew Zealand police clash with anti-vaccine protesters at parliament, over 120 arrestedAnd so it ends as it began – in farce. On Thursday morning hundreds of police officers made their move against the “freedom convoy”, a tiny racket of anti-vaxxers, anti-mandaters, and proud fascists who were camping on parliament’s lawn to protest, well, something. Some were arguing for the efficacy of the immune system over the vaccine, as if the mRNA jab does something other than train said immune system. A good number were calling for citizens’ arrests against prime minister Jacinda Ardern and health minister Andrew Little for crimes unknown. And at least a handful were prosecuting their QAnon conspiracies. At the last major “freedom” protest Q’s supporters were on the ground to argue that the prime minister is already under arrest and wears an ankle bracelet to prove it.With this catalogue of complaints it was impossible for police to do anything other than remove the convoy-cum-campers. In normal circumstances protesters arrive in the capital with a concrete demand whether it’s ending student fees, repealing the Foreshore and Seabed Act, or opposing the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. But the “freedom” convoy came to town as simple catharsis. There were the anti-vaxxers and anti-mandates types, who range from American-style conspiracists to misguided anarchists, but alongside those familiar archetypes were evangelical church leaders, Steve Bannon-backed Counterspin media “journalists”, and people calling for tino rangatiratanga (Māori sovereignty). Continue reading...