Tens of thousands of people have marched on the New Zealand parliament in Wellington to protest against a bill that critics say strikes at the core of the country’s founding principles and dilutes the rights of Māori people.

As tens of thousands of marchers thronged the streets in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, the column of people, flags aloft, had the air of a festival or a parade rather than a protest.

Thousands of protesters including Māori warriors in traditional dress marched on New Zealand’s parliament Tuesday in opposition to a draft law that they say would erode the rights of indigenous people.