{"id":193071,"date":"2021-06-06T10:41:14","date_gmt":"2021-06-06T10:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=58758"},"modified":"2021-06-06T10:41:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-06T10:41:14","slug":"gallery-migrant-lives-matter-protest-slams-nz-policies-palestinian-justice-and-tiananmen-massacre-also-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/06\/06\/gallery-migrant-lives-matter-protest-slams-nz-policies-palestinian-justice-and-tiananmen-massacre-also-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallery: \u2018Migrant lives matter\u2019 protest slams NZ policies \u2013 Palestinian justice and Tiananmen massacre also feature"},"content":{"rendered":"
Asia Pacific Report<\/a> newsdesk<\/em><\/p>\n New Zealand’s largest ever crowd in support of migrant rights gathered in Auckland’s Aotea Square at the weekend in triple protests that also marked solidarity for Palestinian justice and the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, China.<\/p>\n More than 1500 people filled the square on Saturday proclaiming “migrant lives matter” with speakers calling on them to stand up for their rights.<\/p>\n New Zealand governments over the past few years were accused of cynically exploiting migrant workers and that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s “nation of 5 million people” excluded about 300,000 migrants.<\/p>\n The protesters then marched down Queen Street calling for changes to the “broken” immigration policies.<\/p>\n Among demands were:<\/p>\n Unite union president Michael Treen said successive governments had built the economy on the back of migrants and then consistently “lied” to them about their prospects.<\/p>\n President of the Migrant Workers Association Anu Kaloti said migrants were suffering at the hands of the \u201cbroken immigration system\u201d.<\/p>\n Before the march, Palestinian community leader Maher Nazza declared to the crowd “No one is free until we are all free”, saying that the world community must pressure Israel<\/a> into honouring the United Nations resolutions and restore justice and hope for Palestinians.<\/p>\n A smaller crowd of Chinese dissidents marked the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre,<\/a>\u00a0with more than 10,000 deaths, according to a BBC report<\/a>.<\/p>\n One speaker said: “If I said the truth [about the Chinese Communist Party] as I am saying here today in China, somebody would come within minutes and take me away.”<\/p>\n\r\n \n