More than 50 arrested in anti-vaccine protests outside New Zealand Parliament

New Zealand police arrested more than 50 people on Thursday during an anti-vaccine protest outside Parliament inspired by the Canadian trucker convoy.

On the third day of the protests, police brought in 100 additional officers to evict protesters from the grounds, ripping up tents and dispelling people, The Guardian reported.

Anti-vaccine protesters had pitched tents and parked cars on the grounds of the New Zealand Parliament building, inspired by the standoff in Canada, where truckers protesting vaccine mandates have parked their trucks in the capital city of Ottawa, disrupting traffic and aggravating politicians.

The protest has come to symbolize taking a stand against governmental mandates, and officials warn that a similar protest is forming in the U.S.

In New Zealand, which fully vaccinated 90 percent of its population in December, some citizens have for months protested coronavirus restrictions, including a vaccine mandate for teachers, police officers and health care workers, Reuters reported.