Demo at the Duxton on Wed. night - minister's car blocked by protesters!!!

Around 30 people gathered outside the Duxton hotel in Wellington for a final protest against the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) conference.

The delegates were meeting at the Duxton for their concluding dinner and their award ceremony where awards of excellence were handed out to companies for making a profit from killing. Police were present with approximately 20 officers, and several security guards were mingling around too.

Protesters met just before 6pm in the Michael Fowler Centre car park armed with noise making devices and two tall bikes. They went across the road and started yelling, banging their drums and using a megaphone. Police had blocked off access to the hotel on both sides of the drive. Protesters were quite happy on the footpath – it seemed to be one of the loudest Wellington demos with the sound being able to be heard several blocks away! The noise kept on going for over an hour and every delegate entering the hotel was yelled at.

All of a sudden a car with a CR number plate pulled into the hotel’s parking centre, which suggested that a Minister was sitting in that car. Protesters ran after the car into the parking centre and figured out that Mark Burton was sitting in the front passenger seat. Mark Burton is the leaving Minister of Defence. Today, 19th October 2005, is in fact his final day in that position and he was going to the NZDIA dinner. Activists chased Burton’s car further and further up the car park. The driver was obviously panicking as the car was speeding up and going faster and faster. They reached the top floor (around level 10) where Burton and his three cronies were stuck! They tried turning around and coming back down but protesters sat in front of the car and, after being slid along the ground by the bumper of the car, the driver stopped and tried to back - at which point a few sat down behind it. 10 or so noise making activists, some of them wearing balaclavas, waving a red and black flag, surrounded the car. Burton's car was blocked. Attempts of escape were stopped by protesters who were just not moving out of the way. This stand-off lasted for over 5 minutes with no cops around. The people in the car were busy ringing the police and other security and looked rather pissed off and scared.

A group of around 10 cops came marching down in the distance from a higher level. Protesters stayed for a bit but quickly scrambled as the police contingent marched/jogged closer, making their way down the staircase. The two lifts were blocked the whole time by protesters. All the protesters got out of the building and met up with the others who stayed outside. It was decided to leave the hotel. The group walked up to Pigeon Park where the action was debriefed. Two cops followed the protesters on their way through town.