New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today she was “horrified” by George Floyd’s death in the US and welcomed peaceful solidarity protests in her country, but noted that protesters flouted coronavirus social distancing restrictions.
“I think I stand with everyone else in being horrified in what we’ve seen but at the same time, we need to show that and express that solidarity in a way that makes sure we’re looking after one another as well,” Ardern said in a news briefing.
Ardern said that as a nation, “where we see racism, where we see intolerance, where we see hatred, that we call it out,” but also noted the risk of coronavirus infection remains.
“I utterly understand the sentiment, but we are in a global pandemic and I would hate for there to be an outbreak caused by someone who felt really moved to go and share their view and their opinion to then become ill. That’s exactly what we’re trying to prevent,” she said
CNN