NZ MP Twice Expelled Over Fiery Gaza Speech, Slams Gov’t Stance on Palestinian Statehood

By Staff, Agencies

A heated confrontation unfolded in New Zealand’s parliament after Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was expelled from the chamber on two consecutive days for delivering an impassioned speech on Gaza and calling for sanctions against “Israel”.

On Tuesday, Swarbrick urged fellow lawmakers to support her motion to impose sanctions on “Israel” over what she described as the Gaza genocide, challenging “members of parliament with a spine” to take a stand.

“If we can find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,” she declared.

Her remarks led to her immediate expulsion and an unusually long three-day suspension by New Zealand parliamentary standards. Defying the penalty, she returned the next day and was again ordered out after refusing to retract her comments.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee escalated the matter by invoking a rare disciplinary procedure—calling for a formal censure vote against Swarbrick for misconduct. The motion, which included a suspension with salary deduction, passed with unanimous backing from the governing coalition.

The episode comes amid growing political pressure on the government to recognize Palestinian statehood, following Australia’s recent pledge to do so and with France, Britain and Canada expected to announce recognition during September’s UN General Assembly.

Swarbrick criticized New Zealand’s hesitation, noting that 147 of the UN’s 193 member states—representing 75 percent of the global community—already recognize the State of Palestine.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also made unusually blunt remarks, saying “Israel’s” prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has lost the plot”.

He condemned the lack of humanitarian aid, mass displacement, and the annexation of Gaza as “utterly appalling,” asserting that Netanyahu had gone “way too far”.

Since October 2023, “Israel’s” ongoing war on Gaza has martyred more than 61,700 Palestinians, the vast majority women and children.