Protest in Wellington
On the 29th July the Springboks defeated Taranaki in New Plymouth but the real protest action was outside parliament in Wellington. More than 2000 protestors marched on parliament only to be met by the police. Here the infamous twilight batoning of protestors on Molesworth Street, where the long baton was first used by the red squad. Former Prime Minister Norman
Kirk’s prediction almost a decade earlier that a tour would result in the 'greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known’ became scarily accurate. Subsequent acts of violence and sabotage gained international media attention. At the second test in Wellington, 1611 police were on duty due to security concerns. Demonstrators were violently man handled by police and assaulted by pro-tour supporters in the streets surrounding Wellington's Athletic Park.
Kirk’s prediction almost a decade earlier that a tour would result in the 'greatest eruption of violence this country has ever known’ became scarily accurate. Subsequent acts of violence and sabotage gained international media attention. At the second test in Wellington, 1611 police were on duty due to security concerns. Demonstrators were violently man handled by police and assaulted by pro-tour supporters in the streets surrounding Wellington's Athletic Park.