Green Party leader accused of being aggressor in scuffle

Greens' co-leader, Russel Norman. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Greens' co-leader, Russel Norman, was yesterday accused by National and Act of being the aggressor in his bust-up with Chinese security guards accompanying Vice-President Xi Jinping to Parliament last week.

Dr Norman denied it but conceded a couple of points yesterday after four days of indignation.

"It looked a bit undignified and that isn't ideal,' he said in a personal explanation he prepared to read to Parliament.

He also acknowledged that one of the New Zealand diplomatic protection squad officers had actually been trying to keep a member of the Chinese delegation away from him at the time - even though Dr Norman pushed him during the fracas and accused him on the day of not doing anything.

"I apologise to him for suggesting otherwise at the time," Dr Norman's statement said. Government MPs denied him permission to read the statement in the House.

Act leader Rodney Hide accused Dr Norman of assaulting the Chinese after watching full footage of the incident on TVNZ's website.

Mr Hide said it showed Dr Norman "clearly elbowing a Chinese official and the Green co-leader assaulting the official before the scuffle over the flag".

Acting Prime Minister Bill English accused Dr Norman of harassing Mr Xi and suggested maybe the Chinese were expecting an apology from Dr Norman for the force he had used on them.

The scuffle broke out after Dr Norman held the Tibetan flag aloft at the Beehive entrance. Pro-China protesters were kept behind a barricade under the Dick Seddon statue 20m away.

Dr Norman's flag was covered by an umbrella and the flag pulled out of his hand. He began chanting.

The Herald revealed yesterday that Prime Minister John Key telephoned the second most senior member of Mr Xi's delegation on Friday night to apologise for the incident.

Mr Key said on Radio New Zealand yesterday that Dr Norman had "charged" at Mr Xi.

Dr Norman denied that. He said he ended up closer to the Vice-President than he had intended after picking up his flag and holding it aloft again.

"In avoiding these assaults from the Chinese communist Government officials, I was dragged closer to the security entrance."

Labour leader Phil Goff said Dr Norman could have taken some lessons from former Greens co-leader Rod Donald, who conducted a silent protest for Tibetan independence at the bottom of Parliament's steps in 2005 at the arrival of Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People's Congress.

Meanwhile, Parliament's Speaker, Lockwood Smith, is working up a proposal to prevent a repeat of the incident.

He will seek advice from MPs and look at other Speakers' rulings before publicly commenting.

WHAT THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SAID ABOUT IT:

At the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping paid an official visit to New Zealand starting on June 17.

He was warmly welcomed and well received by the Government and people of New Zealand. The visit yielded positive results.

When the delegation arrived at the entrance of the Parliament Building in Wellington Friday noon, it was hostilely harassed by a New Zealand demonstrator within close distance.

The demonstrator's behaviour posed a threat to the security and dignity of the delegation, and far exceeded the boundaries of the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Such an attempt to spoil the atmosphere of Xi's visit and damage the Sino-New Zealand relationship is doomed to fail.

It also runs against the common wish of both Chinese people and New Zealanders to enhance bilateral friendship.

New Zealand has apologised to the Chinese side for the incident.