A dramatic change has been made to the pro-Palestine protest in Auckland, with plans to cross the harbour bridge being scrapped because of high winds.
Gusts of up to 70km/h are expected to buffet the Auckland Harbour Bridge at the same time the protesters were set to march across tomorrow.
In a post this afternoon, Aotearoa For Palestine revealed the change of plans.
“The march will go ahead with a changed route,” the post said.
The start time remains 9.30am on Saturday, but protesters will now assemble at Aotea Square before marching through the central city, finishing up at Victoria Park.
“People have travelled from across Aotearoa to join this historic protest, and tomorrow we will March for Humanity through the Auckland CBD – united in our call for the New Zealand Government to impose sanctions on Israel.
“Community safety is paramount, and so too is our collective voice for justice,” said Aotearoa for Palestine spokeswoman Nadine Mortaja.
Organisers said the plan was to still do the Harbour Bridge march at a later date.
Earlier, police held concerns over “significant safety risks” to themselves, police staff and other motorists during tomorrow’s planned demonstration.
Southbound traffic from Auckland’s North Shore on the Northern Motorway would not have been able to cross the bridge for much of the morning.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said wind speeds were expected to reach 70km/h in exposed areas of Auckland tomorrow – including the bridge.
She said wind speeds in the inner city would reach about 40km/h. The risk of thunderstorms did not start until mid-afternoon and was not expected to affect the protest.
The harbour bridge is placed under an amber alert when wind speeds reach 80km/h, with motorcycles and high-sided vehicles urged to take a different route.
The relieving district commander for the Waitematā district, Inspector Stefan Sagar, said the weather posed safety risks for protesters.
“Large numbers of pedestrians accessing the harbour bridge pose significant safety risks to themselves, our police staff, and other motorists.
“While police respect the right to protest, we have reiterated safety concerns to organisers as part of ongoing communication.”
Organisers say they expect tens of thousands of people for the March for Humanity protest.
Earlier, March for Humanity spokeswoman Nadia Abu-Shanab said they had the sign-off from police.
Abu-Shanab did not know when the protest would finish, but she expected it to take hours.
“We’re expecting to have thousands of people come out to show their support for demanding our Government take action, to end the genocide in Gaza and impose sanctions on Israel.”
Saturday’s march follows similar demonstrations in Australia last month, where tens of thousands of protesters marched over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge.
Last year, a hīkoi of thousands crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge en route to Wellington to protest the controversial Treaty Principles Bill.
It took two hours for protesters to cross the bridge on two closed northbound lanes just after morning rush hour.
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