A social media post comparing New Zealand police to Australian police has gone viral, after a Reddit user posted a side by side picture of what the neighbouring countries' police forces are getting up to this Christmas.
The Reddit post, which was originally posted on r/australia before being removed, received 226 comments and more than 2000 upvotes on the r/newzealand page.
On the left, two New Zealand police officers are pictured happily wrapping presents. The Wellington District Police offered a gold coin donation for their gift-wrapping services throughout November and December, with all of the donations going to Coastlands and Porirua Rotary.
On the right, two heavily-armed Australian police officers are seen escorting a young climate protester away from the Australian Prime Minister's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, as she holds her placard.
The young girl in the post is 13-year-old Izzy Raj-Seppings, who took her father to join a protest demanding Scott Morrison act on climate change.
"A squad of about 25 fully suited and armed riot police came marching over the hill. It was like something out of a movie," Raj-Seppings wrote in an opinion piece for the Guardian.
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's threat to ban climate boycotts labelled 'totalitarian'
- Australian children walk out of school to protest government inaction on climate change
- Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, disappoints public by taking holiday while bushfires continue to burn
The 13-year-old said the riot squad used "intense intimidation tactics" in order to move her and other protesters on.
A video posted to Twitter shows a police officer approach Raj-Seppings and put his face up close to hers while demanding she move on. The young girl is bawling while the officer yells at her.
Morrison recently slammed the youth climate change protest movement, spear-headed by teenage activist Greta Thunberg.
According to The Guardian, Morrison dubbed the environmental protesters as "anarchists", and has threatened a crackdown on the right to protest.
Morrison believes the "new breed of radical activism" is threatening the future of mining in Australia, and has said the government will be applying penalties to protesters targeting businesses who provide resources to the mining industry.
