Jacinda Ardern’s cool response to car chase by anti-vaxxers
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, appeared unbothered by a car chase she was involved in that saw anti-vaxxers pursuing the van she was in, forcing it onto a kerb.
Footage of the chase has recently gone viral online, showing a group of anti-vaccination activists use their own vehicles to attempt to block Ardern in the Bay of Islands.
The group can be heard shouting abuse at Ardern’s vehicle as officers with the Diplomatic Protection Service stood guard. One shouted, “Shame on you!” while another shouted, “We do not consent”. Another protestor claimed Ardern was “hiding in the van”, calling her a “wussy” and a “Nazi”.
The video also shows the vehicle attempting to pull on to the main road, taking to the footpath to avoid a car attempting to block it in. A woman in one of the cars pursuing it can be heard saying, “Oh this is fun! We‘re on a chase”, while a man says that the group just wanted “a few words” with Ardern. They joked, “We’re in pursuit for the Prime Minister”.
Ardern described it as “just another day”, telling reporters, “at no point was I worried about my safety or the safety of anyone that was with me.” She added, “Every day is faced with new and different experiences in this job … We are in an environment at the moment that does have an intensity to it that is unusual for New Zealand. I do also believe that with time it will pass.”
She said, “I see that as just being a reflection of the fact that we are the decision makers. And if people don’t like the decisions that are being made, then it’s us that of course will hear the feedback about that.”
The chase comes amid a small but notable rise in threats towards public officials involved in New Zealand’s pandemic response, according to police data released to 1News this week. Threats to politicians reached a three-year high in one month last year. Most of the reports, which at times spiked to as many as 16 per month, involved threats aimed at Prime Minister Ardern.
Lance Burdett, who protected former Prime Minister Helen Clark, said COVID-19 vaccinations had become a sticking point with a small minority. While close to 95% of adults in New Zealand are now fully vaccinated, some have strongly resisted getting the jab or the mandates that have come with the country’s pandemic response.
Image: Mark Mitchell-Pool/Getty Images