The New Zealand Parliament has voted to impose record suspensions on three lawmakers who did a Maori haka as a protest. The incident took place last November during a debate on a law on Indigenous rights.
New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday agreed to lengthy suspensions for three lawmakers who disrupted the reading of a controversial bill last year by performing a haka, a traditional Maori dance.
Two parliamentarians — Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi — were suspended for 21 days and one — Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, from the same party — for seven days.
Before now, the longest suspension of a parliamentarian in New Zealand was three days.
Hakas are designed to be intimidating. If you don’t know that, you might be a Great White Savior yourself.
You could argue that they should be afraid after introducing racist legislation, like they did, but that’s not where anyone is going here (yet).
Sure, if you’re willfully ignoring context. These were legislators wearing suits doing it in parliament to make a political point, not armed warriors doing it on a battlefield. The only ‘fear’ was entirely dishonest and performative, not real.
My goddamn family doing that to me in suits would scare me. They’re effective, and they did a good job performing it.
Sure, at no point was there a literal threat of actual physical violence. If there was, I’d expect them to be barred for life.
With the element of surprise? Hell yes, I would be shook. I kinda think you would too.
Buds give your nuts a tug.
I think you guys are being tough on the internet, actually. IRL a good battle display gets audience reactions, although I’ve never been around the Maori kind.
Huh, sounds like you’re projecting.