Several thousand people have gathered in Christchurch this afternoon to
protest the demolition of the city's Anglican cathedral.
The protest rally began in Cranmer Square and saw past and present civic leaders, MPs and other high profile Christchurch residents calling on the Anglican Church to immediately halt demolition work on the quake-damaged Cathedral.
The rally came on the day an opinion poll showed the fate of the Anglican cathedral has divided the region, with 54 per cent of those polled favouring demolition and 42 per cent calling for it to be saved.
Former MP Jim Anderton told the crowd that 100 engineers had confirmed the Cathedral could be saved and restoration should go ahead regardless of the cost. If the city could afford to spend money on a new rugby stadium it could afford to restore the city's most iconic building.
Long-time heritage campaigner and former city councillor Anna Crighton said the Anglican Church should take heed of both the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's and the Christchurch City Council's call for a pause to demolition work.
"Pause, consult the experts and let the public ... have a say about their Cathedral,'' Crighton said.
After an hour of impassioned pleas for the cathedral to be saved the fired-up crowd marched from Cranmer Square to the central city cordon at Worcester Boulevard where the Wizard tolled a bell and called on the "evil'' Anglican bishop to bring an end to demolition work on the Cathedral.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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| Jim Anderton, former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Thousands rally for Christ Church Cathedral
AGAINST DEMOLITION: Elisabeth and Vic Stent sign a banner of
support.
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The protest rally began in Cranmer Square and saw past and present civic leaders, MPs and other high profile Christchurch residents calling on the Anglican Church to immediately halt demolition work on the quake-damaged Cathedral.
The rally came on the day an opinion poll showed the fate of the Anglican cathedral has divided the region, with 54 per cent of those polled favouring demolition and 42 per cent calling for it to be saved.
Former MP Jim Anderton told the crowd that 100 engineers had confirmed the Cathedral could be saved and restoration should go ahead regardless of the cost. If the city could afford to spend money on a new rugby stadium it could afford to restore the city's most iconic building.
Long-time heritage campaigner and former city councillor Anna Crighton said the Anglican Church should take heed of both the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's and the Christchurch City Council's call for a pause to demolition work.
"Pause, consult the experts and let the public ... have a say about their Cathedral,'' Crighton said.
After an hour of impassioned pleas for the cathedral to be saved the fired-up crowd marched from Cranmer Square to the central city cordon at Worcester Boulevard where the Wizard tolled a bell and called on the "evil'' Anglican bishop to bring an end to demolition work on the Cathedral.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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