New Zealand Targets Protesters Camped Outside Parliament With Lawn Sprinklers, Blaring Barry Manilow

For two weeks, antigovernment protesters camped outside this South Pacific country’s Parliament have held group hugs, planted vegetable gardens and renamed a footpath “No Booster Lane” as authorities tried everything to disperse them without violence. A top official turned on lawn sprinklers, soaking the around 1,000 people protesting issues including vaccine mandates. Music, including Barry Manilow songs, was blasted, and regular loudspeaker announcements urged protesters to end the occupation. When none of that worked, authorities adopted another approach: installing concrete barriers to limit a blockade of vehicles and making some arrests. The confrontation illustrates the dilemma for countries that are facing anger and frustration among some groups at government public-health orders as they adjust to treating Covid-19 as endemic. In Canada, the government decided to invoke emergency powers to end a three-week protest in Ottawa and secure border crossings, where traffic was thwarted at times. Protesters have also staged large rallies recently in Australia’s capital, Canberra, where police have made some arrests.