In New Zealand, official hopes playing the 'Macarena' will get anti-government protesters to disperse

Protesters in Wellington, New Zealand.
(Image credit: Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images)

If asking nicely and turning on the sprinklers won't get anti-government protesters in New Zealand to disperse, one official is hoping that blasting James Blunt and "Baby Shark" will.

There are about 400 to 500 people in tents outside of Parliament in Wellington, Radio New Zealand reports. They are protesting against COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates, and have been camped out for about a week. This is "creating a real stress and concern" for local residents, schools, and businesses, Superintendent Corrie Parnell, the Wellington District Commander, said on Monday. "We continue to appeal to protesters to leave the demonstration and to take their children — it has been wet and cold overnight, and we now have concerns about the health risks posed and sanitation issues."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.