'I’ve never seen it to that extent' - city leaders flee conspiracy mob
Saturday, 10 June 2023
Hamilton’s deputy mayor was among councillors subjected to an attempted citizen’s arrest at a public meeting overrun by hundreds of conspiracists, with Angela O’Leary calling it the most disorderly event she’s seen in 16 years in local politics.
The event, on Thursday night, has left officials grappling with how elected representatives interact safely with the public after a discussion over something as innocuous as urban design saw them shouted down amid raised fists and calls for an ‘overthrow’.
Fairfield Baptist church was standing room only as conspiracists and some genuinely interested members of the public gathered to hear what was billed as a discussion about 20-minute cities.
The event was hosted by the Hamilton Citizens and Ratepayers Association but also featured members of misinformation outlet Counterspin media among the crowd, including Kelvyn Alp, who was last year charged with distributing objectionable material.
After 10 minutes, Deputy mayor O’Leary and councillor Mark Donovan were booed off the stage to chants of “cowards!” after barely having had the chance to explain what 20-minute cities are, or how they might affect Hamilton.
Everything you need - a job, grocery store, your favourite cafe or night haunt - all within a mere 20 minutes walk or cycle from home. That’s the principle of the 20-minute city. The concept is a geographical reality in many New Zealand towns already, irrespective of planning directives, but has been latched onto by some as the thin edge of a shadowy worldwide attempt to control the populace.
Without a designated MC, no speaking rules and an ease of access for the het-up audience to roving microphones, the meeting imploded on itself.
To kick off, ostensible MC Tony Armstrong asked the audience who the ‘witches’ were - to frenzied replies of “Jacinda!”
As the councillors departed a man from the audience of about 400 issued what he called a “writ” declaring a citizen's arrest of the councillors.
Once the invited councillors had left, the floor was ceded to Counterspin’s Samantha Edwards, who, speaking off the cuff as her slide show failed, only briefly mentioned 20-minute cities before seguing to “seismic generating ships” off the coast, “weaponry in street lights” and claims the government was attempting to legalise sex with children.
At points Edwards, who told the audience she had only slept an hour the night before, was muddled in her own speech. So much so that members of the audience implored her to give up on the presentation and get to the point.
After falsely attempting to tell the audience 20-minute cities would result in more planned congestion, Edwards on second thought said: “It’s not just congestion, it’s control.”
A man in audience cried “put the councillors on!” So, that’s what happened.
Councillor Andrew Bydder, who had stood previously on the Hamilton Residents and Ratepayers Association ticket and was in the audience, took to the empty table reserved for the panel to field questions from the audience and appeared to ingratiate himself with them.
“This is about getting you out of your cars,” he told the faithful.
Ryan Hamilton
Like a ring-in, councillor and National Party candidate for Hamilton East, Ryan Hamilton who was in the audience, joined Bydder at the panel and was given a turn at the mic.
Hamilton failed to admonish the crowd’s behaviour and instead reminded them that he was the sole councillor to vote against vaccine mandates during the last council term.
“Look, I sympathise with a lot of what you said tonight regarding traffic, I was the only councillor to stand up against council’s imposed mandates,” he said to rapturous applause.
After explaining that the council had been the recipient of $37 million dollars worth of Climate Emergency Relief Funding (CERF) to aid the installation of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, he implored the “passionate” crowd to show up to speak at council meetings on the topic. This came directly after witnessing members of the audience attempt to conduct a citizens arrest on his colleagues.
“You’ve got the manpower, I just encourage you to channel it.”
As Edwards fumbled through her presentation, those disinterested and dissatisfied with the meeting started to leave. After an hour of diatribe and misinformation, the hosts realised they were losing the crowd and started at the rear of the hall an impromptu line for those wanting to ask questions.
“Who do you work for?” one gentleman asked sceptically.
Bydder replied forthrightly, “I work for you. I came here to listen, I came to listen to you. Who here wants more speed bumps?”
He then asked the audience who would vote for “20 minute cities like Oxford?”
Oxford is held up as an example by conspiracists of a 15-minute city in which it is erroneously claimed that residents are subject to fees for exiting the city and that they are surveilled more than those in cities elsewhere.
“I’ll just give one example of things that are going on in council that Ryan Hamilton and myself did vote against. In-lane bus stops. In order to stop traffic, get you ‘choosing’ buses, they are going to use them to stop you driving. The bus will stop in the lane of traffic,” he said to groans from the crowd.
What he was referring to is a proposal by council to modify an existing bus stop on Anglesea St such that buses which have been unable to rejoin traffic once having stopped, are able to do so efficiently.
As a result, one man in the audience said that he would attack the buses.
A woman in the audience then told Bydder because of such projects she would stop paying her rates.
Ironically, the evening’s occasional compère and member of the ratepayer association, Armstrong said he’d already stopped paying his.
“I’m glad, I didn't have to say it, but I’ve stopped paying my rates,” Armstrong said to cheers.
As the meeting came to a precipitous end, one audience member was so upset he said that an “overthrow” was in order – again, to cheers.
Outside the venue, in front of a ute emblazoned with Counterspin hoardings, the National Party candidate attempted to clarify his position amongst the evening’s cries of “overthrow”, “Witch, Jacinda!” and attacks on buses.
“I just came here to observe really,” he said.
He described the meeting as “horrendous” and “all over the place”.
How did this happen?
That begs the question, given the volatile subject and knowledge that it can attract those with aggressive, hostile views, why did the councillors attend the purported discussion in the first place?
“When I first met with the organisers I made it clear that it was a bit of a hot topic. I did try to give them some advice, at the end of the day that was up to them,” O’Leary said.
Asked if she knew Counterspin would be present she said: “I wrestled with that. I always want to try and do my best to be available as an elected member and I have always done that in my 16 years. In some respect I knew the audience would be a tough one… Councillor Mark and I just went in good faith.”
Counterspin being given speaking rights “put the whole meeting into a different context”, O’Leary said.
In her 16-years on council, she said that this public meeting was the most unruly she had ever attended.
“It was extremely sad that there were probably people in the audience who were genuinely there to listen. But, I think that mob mentality ruined it for everyone, unfortunately. But no, I’ve never experienced anything like that during all my years on council.”
Frightened by the evening’s turn, O’Leary said that she and Donovan had been briefed by staff about security arrangements beforehand. The advice, she says, was to leave if things became disorderly.
“Looking at all at everyone, especially when I said there was no point in us continuing… What I could see was people raising their fists and things… (With) that level of hostility, better just to remove ourselves.”
She said that given the reception on Thursday night she was unsure how councillors could safely and constructively broach sensitive issues with the public.
“I don’t know, I just don’t know.”