The Star: February 15, 2024

Thursday February 15 2024 The Star
NEWS 13
Mother angry over
MARY
Ryman Resident
use of prop dead
babies in protest
• By Dylan Smits
A MOTHER is angry at protesters after
her children saw prop dead babies at the
pro-Palestine demonstration from their
Lyttelton home.
Protesters created bundles to act as dead
babies, representing those killed in Gaza
since the beginning of the recent Israel-
Hamas War.
Kylie Guest said it was difficult for her
young children to discern the bundles
were props.
“My 9 and 10-year-old could see them
lined up all along the footpath and of
course when you’re that small, not only are
they just bodies, but they looked like bodies
of (actual) babies,” said Guest.
About 60 protesters demonstrated on
the corner of Dublin St and Norwich Quay
from noon to 2.30pm on Waitangi Day.
Some demonstrators blocked the road
before being dispersed by police.
Guest’s lounge, bathroom and children’s
bedroom window overlooked the protest.
“There was really no avoiding it.”
She said her 10-year-old daughter was in
great distress, especially when protesters
started blocking the road.
Guest does not want to be
misunderstood as anti-Palestinian.
“It’s not that I don’t support their cause.
I absolutely respect their right to protest, I
just was really, really upset in the manner
that it was carried out.”
Guest would have liked some advanced
warning about the demonstration.
“I could have put steps in place to stop
my children from being exposed to things
like that.”
She found the use of red paint and the
prop dead babies offensive.
“It’s not a 9 and 10-year-old’s responsibility
to carry the weight of the world on
their shoulders.”
Protest organiser Ihorangi Reweti-Peters
said the use of the props and road blocking
was justified to spread awareness of child
deaths in the Israel-Hamas war.
“I stand by civil disobedience. Our Government
still hasn’t called for a ceasefire.”
He said the prop dead babies were used
to represent the children killed in Gaza by
Israel.
Use of the props will likely continue at
future protests in Lyttelton and elsewhere,
as he views it as an important tool to
spread the protest message.
“What I don’t agree with is the pepper
spray and the police brutality towards
CONFRONTING: Protestors created
bundles to act as prop baby bodies,
representing those killed in Gaza
since the beginning of the recent
Israel-Hamas War. PHOTOS: RNZ
peaceful protesters who were standing on
the footpath,’ said Reweti-Peters.
Guest rebukes the idea the protest was
fully peaceful.
“That’s flat out wrong,” she said. “The
protesters were hitting police officers with
their signs and being dragged off the road.”
Police said they were aware of the use of
the props.
“While we appreciate some people may
have found the items confronting, our
primary concern was any behaviour that
put those involved, the public and our staff
at risk.”
Police said pepper spray was used because
“a handful of people failed to comply
with police requests to move and following
a number of warnings, staff utilised tactical
options available”.
A spokesperson said four men at the
protest were taken into custody and
charged with obstructing a public place,
resisting police and assaulting police.
Two of the men, political activists John
Minto and Paul Hopkinson, appeared in
the district court on Monday.
Their next appearance is April 22.
The men were among those pepper
sprayed and have now laid a complaint
with the Independent Police Conduct
Authority.
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HEATED: Police arrested pro-Palestine protesters in Lyttelton on Waitangi Day.