Photo courtesy of New Zealand Parliament
New Zealand Protestors Plant Cannabis Seeds In Parliament Rose Garden
One security guard says this was "probably the first cannabis that has ever been planted on parliament grounds."
In Wellington, New Zealand, a protest saw some unhappy campers opposing vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 protocols over the last few weeks.
The protest outside Wellington’s parliament quickly turned into a conspiracy theory-packed riot that ended in violence and fires. Before the riot, a group of protesters thought they’d introduce the parliament’s garden to another plant, one that’s illegal in New Zealand.
It looks like Wellington has the ideal growing environment for cannabis seeds, which we know are rather difficult to germinate without proper care. However, one Wellingtonion happened to notice an abnormal plant among the parliament’s rose garden, as a few cannabis seedlings started emerging from the soil.
Photo by Michael Neilson / NZME
The Guardian reports that the protesters trampled the gardens outside the building, and some of them even tore up a few existing flowers to make room for marijuana plants. Perhaps they were planning to stay a lot longer than 23 days, as they also planted herbs and veggies.
According to the New Zealand national broadcaster, RNZ, the parliament groundskeeper confirms that “a few cannabis seedlings” were beginning to pop up in the place of roses. “A lot of seeds had been scattered around, among other things left from the protesters,” he added.
What’s all the more amusing is how one protester told RNZ that “many more [cannabis seeds] will likely germinate for years to come,” implying that the group planted a lot more seeds than what’s sprouting now.
Photo by Michael Neilson / NZME
One security guard confirmed that this was “probably the first cannabis that has ever been planted on parliament grounds.”
The parliament’s speaker of the house, Trevor Mullard, requested “for the weed to be weeded.” Since then, all known cannabis seedlings have been removed and destroyed.
On Friday morning, reports say more police and security have started piling up outside of the parliament building after hearing rumors that another group of protesters would likely return for an additional two weeks in response to the government’s existing COVID-19 protocols.
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