Foreign Minister Winston Peters claims Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick is endorsing the level of protest action that has led to a crowbar attack on his Auckland home.
Swarbrick says she condemns the incident but maintains outrage over the ongoing death and displacement in Gaza is justified.
The attack has been widely condemned, including by PM Christopher Luxon and Labour’s Chris Hipkins, and comes as Parliament debates whether protests outside politicians’ homes should be legal.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with burglary after allegedly using a crowbar to smash a window at Peters’ home in Auckland.
Peters, also the New Zealand First leader, wasn’t at home at the time of the attack about 5.40pm. His partner, Jan Trotman, was inside with a guest. Peters’ dog Kobe was hit by shattered glass during the incident.
The man, who handed himself in to police about 8pm yesterday, was due to appear in Auckland District Court on Friday.
Auckland City district commander superintendent Sunny Patel acknowledged the “angst and frustration” nearby residents felt at the ongoing disruption caused by protesters.
“Police recognise the right to lawful protest, however we will not condone protest action where property is damaged.
“Police continue to urge protestors to remain within the bounds of the law, especially in residential areas.”
Speaking on Herald NOW, Peters called the offender “gutless” and said he regretted not being at home when the attack took place.
“I wish I was there with something in my hand when he did it, but you know, that’s the way it is.”
The incident followed significant protest outside Peters’ home last week, which included one woman who livestreamed the protest and reportedly publicised Peters’ address.
The same woman was yesterday standing alongside Swarbrick in a press conference concerning New Zealanders who had been detained by Israel after trying to deliver aid to Gaza.
Peters claimed Swarbrick was “complicit in the extreme” and believed she had incited protest action, which had led to the attack on his home, describing her as the “new superstar of performative politics”.
Swarbrick, also speaking on Herald NOW, said she hadn’t been aware of the woman’s role in protests outside Peters’ house and hadn’t known she would be at yesterday’s press conference.
“We explicitly condemn that violent attack on Winston Peters’ home,” she said.
“We always have condemned attacks like this, and we always will.”
She rejected any suggestion her criticism of the Government’s position on the Gaza conflict had incited such an attack on Peters’ home.
“This crosses a threshold and goes well beyond people’s right to protest.
“We are asking for this Government at a really basic level to condemn the genocide and to sanction Israel for its war crimes.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last night said the attack on Peters’ home was a “disgrace”.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the vandalism this evening at the home of Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters,” he wrote on social media.
“Nothing justifies someone in public life having their home targeted and their family intimidated.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins also described the incident as “totally unacceptable”.
“MPs’ homes are not the place to protest. No matter the cause, political violence is never ok and should be condemned.”
A bill seeking to ban protests outside politicians’ homes will soon be considered by a Parliament select committee after passing its first reading in August.
The Summary Offences (Demonstrations Near Residential Premises) Amendment Bill was supported by all three coalition parties but was opposed by Labour, the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori.
Hipkins, appearing on Herald NOW, explained his party was “sympathetic” about the issue, noting he as a former PM had faced protests.
He said Labour could potentially support legislation addressing such protests but not the bill as it was currently drafted.
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.