Police on Greenpeace Protest

This morning, Thursday 23 September 2010, a group of about 15 people, operating under the Greenpeace banner, protested at the Fonterra Head Offices. A number of other businesses also share this building.

During the protest action a large wooden barricade was erected which blocked the entrance way to the building.

At the same time someone put an unidentified box in an internal elevator. The box was chained to a handrail in the elevator and left unattended.

Police have responded to the incident by which time the protesters had left the building. Building management choose to evacuate the premises.

Police called specialist services to determine what the contents of the box were.

Significant numbers of police staff were deployed to this incident and approximately 850 building occupants, from a variety of business, were evacuated.

After the building was evacuated a man who said he was from Greenpeace approached Police and said the box contained a speaker system. Because of the nature the box Police continued to treat it as a potential threat to safety and it was not until an hour later that it was determined to be non-threatening.

The evacuated people returned to the building.

Police who attended the incident today are concerned that the behaviour of the protesters was irresponsible and unnecessarily consumed a lot of emergency services resources. Police enquiries are continuing and it is likely that charges will be laid.

ENDS

© Scoop Media