Guerrilla gran to lead Wellington Extinction Rebellion protests
Sunday, 6 October 2019
She was born on the brink of World War II and lived through the threat of communism then the violence of the Springbok apartheid protests.
But it is now, aged 80, that Mary Rose is putting her stake in the ground as one of the lead protesters, as climate action group Extinction Rebellion try to blockade part of Wellington on Monday.
'I have been listening to people talking about climate change for the past 25 years - people of vision and wisdom,' the great-grandmother and Quaker said.
'There is all this feeling helpless, what can we do.'
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The exact location of the Extinction Rebellion protests will remain under wraps till 7am on Monday in an effort to thwart authorities.
The locations of the protest were so secret, group spokeswoman Sea Rotmann said even she was kept out of the loop, but the goal was to cause disruption through non-violent protest.
'There are people who know the police may have to do their job and they may be arrested,' she said.
Simon Oosterman from Extinction Rebellion confirmed at least one road would be blockaded.
Many of the protesters were relatively new to protesting but were spurred by climate change disaster.
'It is not the usual [protest] suspects.'
A memo sent to Parliamentary staff painted a dire warning for commuters: Protesters are travelling to Wellington and the action is likely to include blockades of major roads, bridges, and transport links.
'If this group is successful in blockading the CBD it will likely result in significant traffic delays and disruption to normal commuter travel into Wellington,' the memo read.
Police said 'operational reasons' meant they would not reveal details of staff resourcing but past protests show what could be called on.
An Official Information Act request following a protest outside a defence industry expo at Westpac Stadium in 2017 showed 101 police were deployed to the protest and issued with a tactical run sheet to be destroyed once the operation was complete.
'The role of police is to ensure safety and uphold the law, while recognising the lawful right to protest,' a police statement said on Friday.
'Police will respond appropriately to any issues that may arise.'
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean did not know where the blockade, or blockades, would be.
He had been told protesters would chose intersections where commuters could take alternative routes.
The council would work with police and NZTA to monitor the situation.
Extinction rebellion said the action in Wellington was the first of more than 60 similar protests in more than cities around the world.
Other targets include Paris, New York, Buenos Aires, Delhi, and London.