Greg Bouwer
IINZ
In politics, optics matter. They communicate messages more powerfully than any speech or press release. That is why the recent decision by the Green Party to promote an image of one of its MPs dressed entirely in black, wearing a “Sanction Israel” patch on his arm, should concern every New Zealander.
The image was not leaked by critics. It was proudly highlighted on the party’s own social media channels, complete with a red circle to draw attention to the patch. This was not an accident – it was a deliberate choice to amplify a provocative visual. The symbolism is obvious and troubling: a militant-style patch, worn in a military-style position on the arm, calling for punitive measures against the world’s only Jewish state. Whether intended or not, such imagery evokes historical associations that no responsible political party should wish to summon.
This is not an isolated misstep. The Greens’ co-leader, Chloe Swarbrick, was previously involved in Human Rights Commission mediation over her use of the chant “From the river to the sea” – a slogan that, in its most common interpretation, calls for the elimination of Israel entirely. She also ignored concerns raised by the Jewish community in her own electorate about the harm such rhetoric causes. When placed in this context, the new image is not simply poor judgment – it reflects a pattern of disregard for how the party’s messaging affects Jewish New Zealanders.
The call to “Sanction Israel” is itself a gross double standard. Israel is singled out for condemnation, while regimes responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in the world – from Iran to North Korea – face no such targeted campaigns from the Greens. That selective outrage is a hallmark of political bias, not principled human rights advocacy.
The Greens often claim to champion inclusivity and oppose hate, yet their actions tell a different story. By platforming inflammatory symbols, they risk further marginalising New Zealand’s Jewish community and emboldening those who already seek to vilify it. Such choices deepen division rather than fostering dialogue, and they damage our country’s reputation as a fair and principled democracy.
New Zealanders of all political persuasions should expect better from a party that aspires to lead. The Greens’ leadership must ask themselves: is their goal to build bridges, or to burn them in the pursuit of ideological purity? Because the images they choose to share speak louder than their slogans – and the message right now is one of exclusion, not unity.
This article was originally published by the Israel Institute of New Zealand.
