This is quite a story out of New Zealand. Here is what I learned thus far.
- A “protest fleet” (dozens of vehicles) caused a major traffic jam. Most the of the vehicles eventually moved but some people got out of their vehicles and blocked traffic lanes.
- The protestors appear to be sovereigns who call themselves the “Hīkoi of Truth”
- Their ideas are bound up in tino rangatiratanga (which is the idea of self-determination; independent from government)
- The active Hīkoi group itself may have around 2,000 members but no solid figures are available. The Facebook group where some of this information is shared has more than 20,000 members.
Follow this journalist as he does a good job at explaining the details.
The sovereign movement is clearly growing, spreading and adapting.
Apparently, the Hīkoi tried to get passed the police by serving them documents:
Uh, yeah. Called it. pic.twitter.com/FE042UUodZ
— André Alessi (@AndreAlessi) October 26, 2021