Parliament’s Speaker Gerry Brownlee has shut the chamber’s gallery to members of the public for the rest of the year after pro-Palestine protesters disrupted proceedings by shouting and throwing papers at MPs.
By Craig McCulloch of rnz.co.nz
He called the decision “very disappointing” but necessary given protesters had indicated they intended further action.
The directive means only those with Parliamentary swipe cards would be allowed into the public gallery until next year. Parliament is set to rise on December 17 and return in late January.
Brownlee said the move was about keeping MPs safe, warning there could have been a “catastrophic result” if a protester had fallen into the chamber while being removed.
The protesters have been trespassed from Parliament for two years. Brownlee said he was also investigating whether they had been meeting anyone at Parliament ahead of the action.
About a dozen protesters delayed Question Time on Tuesday, chanting “free Palestine” and showering MPs with leaflets.
Security guards removed them after several minutes, dragging at least one protester across the seats as they continued to yell.
Brownlee watched in silence, before brushing it off as “performative art” and then moving on.
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa later claimed responsibility and urged supporters to gather on Parliament’s forecourt on Wednesday afternoon.
“Let’s give our government the message LOUD & CLEAR that they have betrayed our collective values and humanity by their complicity with Israel’s,” a spokesperson wrote on social media.
In contravention of Parliament’s rules, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer filmed the protest from her seat and shared it on social media with a message of solidarity: “Kia kaha e te whānau.”
Brownlee said that was “totally inappropriate” and he had been assured the video had since been taken down.
