The 21-year-old motorcyclist was stopped just after lunchtime for allegedly speeding. Police would not say which gang he belonged to, but his patch was confiscated and he will appear in Wanganui District Court next Tuesday charged under the new bylaw, which came into force today.
Wanganui District Council banned gang insignia from the city at a meeting yesterday, and the bylaw came into force at midnight.
It gives police powers to fine patchwearers $2000 and to take their gang insignia from them.
Twelve hours after the bylaw came into effect, about 300 people -- a mixture of gang representatives and curious onlookers -- gathered in the city.
Black Power life member Denis O'Reilly labelled the bylaw "absurd".
He said Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws and the council had subverted the processes of Parliament to get it enacted.
Local resident Mike Hills said the ban was an attack on people's rights and the bylaw would be fought through legitimate channels.
Mr Hills described it as "a protest by the community about the community's erosion of civil liberties".
The passing of the bylaw was a cheap publicity stunt "masquerading as an attempt to fix a tragic social dilemma", he said.
Inspector Greg Hudson, acting area commander for Wanganui, told NZPA the protesters, about 30 of 300 were from about four different gangs, got their point across in a low key way.
"They (the gangs) kept separate, naturally, but I think they were all there for the same cause." Although the protesters wore a special patch made up for the occasion, police did not make any arrests because they felt it did not fit the criteria of the legislation, Mr Hudson said.
Central District police communications manager Kim Perks said police had prepared for breaches of the bylaw but the protest appeared quiet and fewer people than expected had turned out.
Police endorsed the ban as there had been genuine concerns by the community about gang intimidation in Wanganui, Ms Perks said.
