Earlier this morning, Police attended a protest at the Hawera District Court which was later closed due to the protesters activities.
Public safety and order is a main priority when attending a protest such as this and although the public are within their rights to protest events, sometimes crowd behaviour becomes anti-social and Police have to take action. Police are well accustomed to managing events such as these however will not tolerate illegal behaviour.
Police have liaised with the Hawera District Court, and we can confirm that five protesters have been arrested for disorderly behaviour while a police woman, who was assaulted by a protester, was admitted to hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries but has since been released. The court was closed for quite some time but has since re-opened.
Media statement issued by PNHQ Media Team
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