Editorial: Influential roles in protest

Protesters position a home-made shield during the police operation to move bollards during day 17 of the Covid-19 convoy protest and occupation at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Editorial

EDITORIAL

The presence of some people at the protest outside Parliament this week raised public attention as well as some eyebrows.

Ex-Opshop singer Jason Kerrison, former it-girl Gilda Kirkpatrick and voted-out politician Winston Peters were seen among the throng.

While their attendance may have been initially surprising, the pieces fell together once it was remembered how they gained their renown. All three have come to public attention by seeking attention at opportune times. And all are known for things they used to do.

An exception to this - and perhaps the biggest eyebrow-lifter - was Sir Russell Coutts. The Commander of the Order of the British Empire is the chief executive of SailGP, an international competition where teams compete across a season of multiple grand prix-style races using high-performance F50 foiling catamarans.

While everyone has the right to protest and to join a protest, that action inevitably comes with added scrutiny, particularly around the messages being shared.

Kerrison most recently got into a social media spat with TV presenter Hilary Barry after she invited followers to share a message if they weren't going to the Wellington protest. Kerrison's response was removed from social media after being called out as unacceptable.

Kirkpatrick is still most remembered for her comment on a reality TV show to another "housewife", "Do you know what I've heard about you? Not a f***ing thing." More lately, she has been calling people who follow public health precautions "cultists".

Peters gained public attention with a claim that masks were essentially a waste of time unless they were "highly surgical, of a certain scientific and medical content". This was swiftly debunked by medical experts who insist masks are an effective means to prevent transmission of the virus.

Sir Russell's words around the protest included a claim of "forced vaccinations" (not true) and "some of our mainstream media have received payment from the New Zealand Government conditional on them promoting government policy, propaganda and spin" (also untrue).

Yes, these potentially influential people have the same right as anyone else to protest. Some criticism of the response to the pandemic is due. But the profiles these potential influencers have built come with an expectation that they will comment responsibly.