Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick was removed from New Zealand’s Parliament this afternoon during a special debate about whether the country should recognise Palestine as a state.
Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee ordered Swarbrick to leave after she refused to apologise for calling Government MPs “spineless.” Initially, she was told she could not return for the rest of the week, but Brownlee later clarified that she could come back tomorrow if she apologised.
The debate was called after Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the Government was still deciding its position on Palestine. Recently, countries including the UK, Canada, France, and Australia have shared plans to recognise Palestine as a state. During the discussion, Swarbrick urged the Government to support the Green Party’s bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes,” a proposal also backed by Labour and Te Pāti Māori.
When Swarbrick refused the Speaker’s order to withdraw her “spineless” comment, she said she would “happily” leave. Other Green MPs followed her out. Speaking to reporters afterward, Swarbrick said, “Genocide is unfolding, and our Government is sitting on its hands,” and called the punishment “excessive.”
Later, Brownlee explained that an MP can only be removed for a single sitting day, but a refusal to apologise could lead to repeated removal. He stressed that debates must remain respectful and said he would not allow MPs to insult each other’s character in Parliament.
