Opposition to protesters
The Pro tour movement in New Zealand around the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand was one, which came from a lot of different perspectives. No group openly supported apartheid legislation in South Africa, but many were mainly just home grown Kiwi’s who just wanted to enjoy a game of rugby. The initial conflict in Gisborne saw the more passionate rural supporters make their mark on the tour. It was widely believed that Muldoon was keen for the game to go ahead as provincial rugby in New Zealand had not seen international competition from the Springbok since 1965. It was believed that Muldoon hoped to improve his razor thin margin in the polls in the election later that year, by bringing rugby of this scale to provinces around the country, despite Muldoon’s policy of having “no politics in sport”, it seemed he was using sport to gain a political support.
Much of the violence that overshadowed the tour was caused not by the anti tour protesters, but by the pro tour supporters who reacted violently to peaceful demonstrations by protesters. This is most evident in the test in Hamilton where protesters successfully entered and occupied the pitch on the 25th of July 1981. This of course sparked a violent reaction from the supporters at the ground who were anticipating seeing the Waikato rugby team host the Springboks. As they game was cancelled before it had even kicked off, spectators at the ground began to launch projectiles at the protesters occupying the centre of the pitch, and in some instances hitting police you were attempting to contain the situation. As the protesters were escorted off the pitch one by one, rugby supporters launched fists and boots at the protesters signifying the hatred they had for them as they had cancelled the first international competition with the Springbok that the Waikato rugby team had had since 1965.
Many protesters would have seen the police and riot squads, including the Blue and Red squads, to be in opposition to them. However former Blue squad member Pete Carrington stated in 2006 that they were protecting the protesters from their real enemy and most dangerous threat, the supporters. Carrington was there on the 15th of August 1981 at Lancaster Park. He states that it was only due to “sheer luck” that nobody was killed that day, and if protesters had managed to penetrate the efforts of the riot squads, then Pete Carrington believes “someone would have gotten killed”, as he recalls supporters inside the ground were armed and ready to pelt the protesters with concrete blocks and full bottles and cans of beer. The police and riot squads were protecting the protesters from harm as inside the ground awaited a scene they were not prepared for. At Eden Park in Auckland where the penultimate test of the series was set, security was at its tightest on the ground with over 40% of New Zealand’s police force in attendance. However although the ground was covered what the police and riot squads didn’t anticipate was attacks from above where Marx Jones was piloting a Cesena aircraft and dropping flour bombs and flares onto the pitch. Jones recalls seeing several helicopters tailing him in an effort to remove him from the air, however Jones knew that as long as he stayed above the city they wouldn’t dare intervene due to the dire consequences that would come as a result of it.
Much of the violence that overshadowed the tour was caused not by the anti tour protesters, but by the pro tour supporters who reacted violently to peaceful demonstrations by protesters. This is most evident in the test in Hamilton where protesters successfully entered and occupied the pitch on the 25th of July 1981. This of course sparked a violent reaction from the supporters at the ground who were anticipating seeing the Waikato rugby team host the Springboks. As they game was cancelled before it had even kicked off, spectators at the ground began to launch projectiles at the protesters occupying the centre of the pitch, and in some instances hitting police you were attempting to contain the situation. As the protesters were escorted off the pitch one by one, rugby supporters launched fists and boots at the protesters signifying the hatred they had for them as they had cancelled the first international competition with the Springbok that the Waikato rugby team had had since 1965.
Many protesters would have seen the police and riot squads, including the Blue and Red squads, to be in opposition to them. However former Blue squad member Pete Carrington stated in 2006 that they were protecting the protesters from their real enemy and most dangerous threat, the supporters. Carrington was there on the 15th of August 1981 at Lancaster Park. He states that it was only due to “sheer luck” that nobody was killed that day, and if protesters had managed to penetrate the efforts of the riot squads, then Pete Carrington believes “someone would have gotten killed”, as he recalls supporters inside the ground were armed and ready to pelt the protesters with concrete blocks and full bottles and cans of beer. The police and riot squads were protecting the protesters from harm as inside the ground awaited a scene they were not prepared for. At Eden Park in Auckland where the penultimate test of the series was set, security was at its tightest on the ground with over 40% of New Zealand’s police force in attendance. However although the ground was covered what the police and riot squads didn’t anticipate was attacks from above where Marx Jones was piloting a Cesena aircraft and dropping flour bombs and flares onto the pitch. Jones recalls seeing several helicopters tailing him in an effort to remove him from the air, however Jones knew that as long as he stayed above the city they wouldn’t dare intervene due to the dire consequences that would come as a result of it.
The escalation of conflict and violence over the fifty-six days of the tour gave police no option but to up their resistance. Molesworth Street saw the debut of Police use short batons to neutralize protesters, however during the next test in Christchurch at Lancaster Park, police used longer batons so not to strike protesters on the head and instead force them away with jabs to the ribs. This worked to great effect, as riot squad members were able to keep protesters away from a scene inside the stadium that would have surely ended in casualties.
key ideas
The opposition to anti tour protests was not an organised movement, but a reaction to the scenes demonstrated by the protesters. And in the eyes of Police and riot squad members, doing what was necessary to keep the potential for violence subdued. This worked as not a single casualty came out the tour, which in the eyes of those who witnessed the violence first hand was a miracle, however changed the image of a nation forever. The divide in New Zealand was clear as hostility was threaded into the nation, an element, which before this event was yet to infect the entire country.