"Hey, Macarena!": New Zealand uses '90s hit to clear away protesters

If it’s possible to annoy a group of protesters into dispersing, New Zealand has done it.

Protesters inspired by Canada’s “Freedom Convoys” have been gathering in front of the New Zealand Parliament.

The idea to chase them away with tunes came from Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard, who suggested driving out the anti-vaccine mandate protesters with music.

They brought us the Macarena.. we set up a dry stage to dance from pic.twitter.com/tq8pgCtcV8

— FUBAR nz (@NzFubar) February 12, 2022

Protesters were undeterred when soaked by sprinklers overnight, they simply built ditches to divert the water.

By the time more people started joining the group on Saturday, it was time to break out the ‘90s Barry Manilow jams, Mallard decided.

Through a sound system, they played “Macarena” on loop in a noisy face-off against the protesters’ “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister and other aptly named songs.

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Police arrested 122 people since the demonstrations began on February 10, which resulted in several physical confrontations. Music was one way to avoid a more confrontational solution.

New Zealand’s approach of not acknowledging anti-vaccine mandate protesters is unusual for the country, which often hears out concerned citizens at Parliament. However, politicians decided in the fall to pay them no mind — or, apparently, drive them away.

Police can report there were no incidents of note overnight at Parliament Grounds.

There were, however, two arrests for alcohol-related behaviour among those in the protest group.

— New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) February 10, 2022

There have only been 53 COVID-19 deaths out of a population of 5 million there, thanks largely to how the government limited the spread of the virus during the early days of the pandemic. Around 77% of the population is vaccinated, although Omicron’s arrival could change numbers in the coming weeks.

In New Zealand they are apparently blasting Barry Manilow and the Macarena on repeat to disperse the protesters. Imagine if a song you wrote had that power.. how embarrassing (and hilarious)!

— ArtistInTO (@ArtistInTO) February 12, 2022

Still, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said they’re planning to end its quarantine requirements for incoming travellers as it reopens its borders, and has promised not to impose another lockdown.