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Thousands of people took to the streets of New Zealand’s capital Auckland Thursday local time to protest the signing of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP ) trade deal which is expected to take place later that day.
#TPP leaders signing TPP in the Skyland Casino in New Zealand. Join the protest Feb 3-4 https://t.co/sV8EqwL9Bi pic.twitter.com/fTwVdeks3D
— The Great Unwashed (@_GreatUnwashed) February 3, 2016
Protesters held banners reading: “No toxic TPP. Planet First,” as they marched through the streets of Auckland. Organizers for protest group Real Choice say they intend to disrupt entry to Auckland's SkyCity Convention Centre where the signing is taking place.
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"We've invited concerned Kiwis to join us in a loud, colorful, non-violent, family-friendly march to make it clear that this government does not have a mandate to sign the TPP in our names," organizer Barry Coate with Real Chiocetold local news.
#TPP signing in New Zealand today, but there’s still time to stop it @USTR https://t.co/Og37owDLLp pic.twitter.com/laYqNshEJk
— Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) February 3, 201
According to the New Zealand Herald, more than 1,000 people are now gathered outside the SkyCity center. "TPPA is not a free trade," one sign said while a female protester was heard telling police officers: "You should not be allowing New Zealand to be sold."
The signing of the TPP document is expected take place at 11.30 a.m. local time with Prime Minister John Key giving an address. The signing will take an hour, according to coordinators, and will be followed by a press conference. Protesters held signs saying “Key must go,” referring to the prime minister.
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Ahead of the signing, some of the biggest aid and human rights organization voiced opposition to the deal. "The fight to stop this irresponsible trade deal from going into effect is far from over," Judit Rius Sanjuan, a campaign manager and legal policy advisor with the Doctors Without Borders said in a press release Wednesday.
"The TPP deal being signed today is the worst trade deal ever for access to medicines and will make lifesaving treatments unaffordable for those who need them most.”
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Meanwhile, a senior United Nations human rights expert said Tuesday that TPP lacked commitments to human rights and urged governments against signing it.
“The TPP is fundamentally flawed and should not be signed or ratified unless provision is made to guarantee the regulatory space of States,” Alfred de Zayas, U.N. independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, said in a statement.
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