The greatest hits of pop musician Barry Manilow – along with the popular Spanish dance tune, Macarena – were used, in vain it turns out, to dislodge anti-Covid restriction protesters in New Zealand.
The protesters are camped outside the parliament building in Wellington.
When authorities began playing songs by the US singer on a 15-minute loop, the demonstrators responded by playing songs such as Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It.
The protests began on Tuesday when a convoy of vehicles drove to parliament, evidently inspired by large rallies against vaccine mandates in Canada.
Other tactics used by the authorities to try and get rid of the protesters involved turning on the water sprinklers on the lawn where they were camped on Friday, according to the BBC. However, the protesters retaliated by digging trenches and building makeshift drainpipes to re-route the water.
New Zealand has imposed strict Covid restrictions to contain the virus for nearly two years now. Lockdowns and an international border closure have helped to keep infection and death numbers very low.
But the duration of many restrictions – including a minimum 10-day isolation and a vaccine mandate – has fueled growing resentment in the community.
The BBC reports that public polls have shown increasing dissatisfaction with Jacinda Ardern’s government, and there has been an increase in protest activity in recent months.