Anti-Mandate Protests & the Left’s Failure

In early 2022 an unlikely alliance of protesters occupied the parliamentary grounds. Paul Hopkinson reflects on the reaction from the left-wing commentariat. Published in April 2022.

The left should be principled and stand by the right to protest and to freedom of expression, including for those we disagree with. It should also always be guided by compassion and empathy to all people, not just those it deems worthy. The hypocrisy, vitriol, demands for violence and authoritarian behaviour from the state towards the anti-mandate protesters from much of the left in NZ showed none of the principles and values mentioned above. Nor did it even attempt to apply dialectical materialism to try and understand the social and economic forces that created these protests.

The dominant force undermining civil liberties and rights across the western world is the majority of the ruling elite adopting and enforcing an extreme liberal ‘progressive’ response to any perceived prejudice or discrimination, often referred to as ‘woke culture’. This version of ‘woke’ has little in common with its origin as an American Black activist term to stay alert for the deceptions of other people. Unfortunately, much of the left has not only bought into this ‘woke culture’, it’s often become a champion of it. Rather than debating people and treating them with respect, compassion and empathy, much of what constitutes the left are keyboard warriors for modern day virtual witch- burning, carried out across social media platforms that often have real -world devastating effects on people’s lives. This is applied with more vigour if the transgressor is someone from the left who has dared challenge the ‘wokest’ perception of a perceived prejudice or discrimination.   Suddenly the general public are not competent enough to have freedom of speech or expression in the age of the internet, algorithms, and commercially run social media platforms. New powers are given to the state such as hate speech laws, limiting freedom of expression and the ability to confront and debate ideas. People who have ideas deemed dangerous or offensive are deplatformed, especially if these ideas are unpopular to the extent they might cost these platforms money or go against their interests. 

Into this left political milieu, combined with a pandemic and over two years of fear, and the strictest social restrictions in living memory, come the anti-mandate protests. As is normal in times of crisis the media lines up behind the government’s message with little criticism or challenging journalism. As the pandemic develops and the government message changes this continues. So when we go from needing over 70% vaccinated for herd immunity to over 95% it is not challenged or debated. When we go from the PM’s promise that no New Zealander will be forced to be vaccinated, to a vaccine mandate that means you might lose your job and your ability to feed your family and keep a roof over your head, it is cheered on by the mainstream media and the left.

With many ordinary working- class New Zealanders barely scraping by for decades, and with  a housing crisis that has left tens of thousands of people homeless with families living in cars, shacks, garages etc, for some the mandates were the last straw. With no progressive political leadership after over 30 years of neo-liberalism, the defiance of the anti-mandate movement was inarticulate and without any clear strategy. The right immediately seized this opportunity to offer their support and attempted to provide answers and leadership to the movement. The left joined in the abuse of them with the government and the media, calling them fascists, selfish and mad, and ridiculed them and called for state oppression.

The left in the west laments the rise of the right and calls on more laws for the state and applauds the new restrictions on freedom of expression while they’re being used on the right. Rather than showing empathy, understanding and listening to the protesters, while not necessarily agreeing with them, it chose abuse, ridicule and oppression.