The Green Party’s Menendez March said he wrote his support letter so the judge would have a full picture of Swedlund’s character. The two worked together when she volunteered with Auckland Action Against Poverty.
“I am sure Hannah and others that engage in non-violent action are well aware of the potential consequences,” he told the Herald. “It is for the sentencing judge to decide what the consequences are.”
In the five-paragraph letter, printed under his official MP letterhead, he described Swedlund as a diligent worker who “navigated complex family situations with care to uphold people’s dignity”.
“I look forward to Hannah continuing to make positive contributions to Aotearoa in her professional and personal capacity,” he wrote.
The Green Party continues to push for sanctions against Israel, with co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick temporarily booted from the House last month after she refused to apologise for saying the coalition government should grow a spine.
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“In particular, I am conscious of the fact that as an officer of the court, Ms Swedlund made a conscious decision to engage in sustained, illegal, behaviour,” Judge Belinda Sellers explained.
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