Pro-Palestine protesters crashed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s pool party, demonstrating outside his home and accusing him of having “blood on his hands” over the deadly Israel-Palestine war.
Pro-Palestine protesters crashed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s pool party, demonstrating outside his home and accusing him of having “blood on his hands” over the deadly Israel-Palestine war.
Pro-Palestine protesters crashed a pool party at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s Auckland home, demonstrating outside and calling for the Government to grant special visas for family members of Kiwi-Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
Last Friday, protesters gathered at the gates of Luxon’s house, chanting on a megaphone: “Luxon, Luxon, you can’t hide.”
Luxon was hosting a pool party with New Zealand radio station The Edge along with popular entertainment figure Sharyn Casey when the incident occurred.
The pro-Palestine protesters uploaded a video, showing Luxon walking out of his house as protesters shouted “blood, blood, blood on your hands”.
In a written message alongside the video, the group People 4 Palestine claimed “It took 20 days for special visas for the whānau living in Ukraine — but it’s been 145 days and still nothing for Palestine.”
The group is referencing how the previous Labour Government established aresidency pathway for those who fled the war in Ukraine in a bid to reach safety in New Zealand.
Nothing has yet been put established for those in Gaza.
Pro-Palestine protesters crashed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s pool party, demonstrating outside his home and accusing him of having “blood on his hands” over the deadly Israel-Palestine war.
In a statement alongside the video, the group People 4 Palestine claimed “It took 20 days for special visas for the whānau living in Ukraine — but it’s been 145 days and still nothing for Palestine.”
In the video, five police officers could be seen standing guard outside Luxon’s front gate.
Protesters were heard chanting, “Save the children, save them all” as a woman with a megaphone shouted: “Shame on you Christopher Luxon, it must be shameful to have people of every demographic in this country call you out.”
“Act like a father, act like a human being, act like our Prime Minister because it is your job,” another could be heard shouting.
Police confirmed to the Herald they attended a group outside an Auckland residential address after 4.45pm last Friday.
In a statement, police said they “monitored the small group present and there were no further issues. The group eventually dispersed and left the area.”
Nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s retaliation to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed more than 1100 people, according to new agency Reuters.
A Palestinian looks at the destruction after an Israeli strike on residential buildings in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Photo / AP
Luxon has also expressed concern about Israel’s actions in the city of Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million people are sheltering.
UN officials warn that an Israeli attack on Rafah will be catastrophic, with more than 600,000 children in the path of an assault. A move on the town and surrounding area also could cause the collapse of the humanitarian aid system struggling to keep Gaza’s population alive.
Israel’s Western allies have also expressed concern.
Israel says it must take Rafah to ensure Hamas’ destruction and to free hostages held by the militants.
“Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price of Israel trying to defeat Hamas,” Luxon said earlier this month.
