November 09, 2023
Davidson refuses to water down river to sea chant
Greens’ co-leader Marama Davidson says Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick’s use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” at a rally against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was a legitimate call for peace.
Free speech advocate and ACT leader David Seymour says it’s a pro-Hamas statement, and the Israel Institute of New Zealand says it’s a coded call for the slaughter of Jews.
But Ms Davidson says the Greens’ position on the month-long Israel-Hamas war is informed by both Jewish and Palestinian peace activists.
She says calls for Palestinian human rights are twisted to be called anti-Semitic.
“Who’s getting slaughtered right now, absolutely carpet-bombed and it is a genocide and the Greens will always, always stand against injustice and oppression,” Ms Davidson says.
The Green Party has asked both the outgoing and the incoming Governments to call strongly for a ceasefire in the conflict.