Summarised by Centrist
The Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa, registered as a charity under the name Migrant Workers Association Trust, staged a mock trial and symbolic execution of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters during a protest in central Auckland.
A mannequin representing Peters was placed beneath a mock guillotine as members of the crowd chanted, “Give him the chop!”
The protest followed Peters telling Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country”, a remark widely condemned as racist.
Peters called for arrests and a Police investigation, saying: “These lefties, whenever they get opposed, they turn to violence.”
Organisers defended the performance as satire and political theatre. Critics, including commentator Ani O’Brien, contrasted that defence with the reaction when ACT candidate Paul Henry played a “shoot, marry, kill” game involving politicians. Labour MP Ayesha Verrall characterised that incident as a death threat.
Editor’s note: If provocative language by a right-wing candidate is treated as potentially threatening, why should a physical portrayal of a politician’s beheading receive a more relaxed standard?
Political satire must be protected, including ugly satire. But its acceptability cannot depend on whether the target sits on the political left or right.
Read more over at Stuff and Ani O’Brien
Image: Facebook
