James Blunt’s music deployed in New Zealand to repel COVID protesters

James Blunt in their latest effort to repel protesters who are camped outside of parliament.The demonstrators, who are angry at COVID-19 vaccine mandates, have been blocking the streets of the country’s capital, Wellington, since Tuesday (February 8).Tactics used by the local authorities to try and get rid of the protesters have included turning on the water sprinklers on the lawn where they camped.

But protesters retaliated by digging trenches and building makeshift drainpipes to re-route the water, according to BBC News.When the sprinkler tactic proved ineffective, police turned to blasting out Barry Manilow‘s greatest hits, which include ‘Mandy’ and ‘Could It Be Magic’, on a 15-minute loop from one of parliament’s loudspeakers, as well as the ’90s Spanish hit ‘Macarena’ and a number of vaccine messages.After catching wind of what was happening, Blunt offered his services to New Zealand authorities via Twitter. “Give me a shout if this doesn’t work @NZPolice,” he tweeted, sharing a story on the protests.Give me a shout if this doesn’t work. @NZPolice https://t.co/AM2dZ6asMS— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) February 12, 2022A few hours later, it appeared the singer-songwriter’s offer was accepted, with his 2005 chart-topping hit ‘You’re Beautiful’ being played over the loudspeaker.However, protesters seemed undeterred, responding by singing other songs over Blunt’s track and playing songs such as Twisted Sister‘s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, all while dancing in the rain.The demonstrators have been inspired by similar protest in Canada but their list of grievances has expanded to include general dissatisfaction with Jacinda Ardern’s government.On Thursday (February 10) police said they had arrested 122 people, charging many.