Winston Peters: Foreign Minister on the Government's bid to make protesting outside someone's home an offence

People protesting the war in Gaza were back outside the Foreign Minister's Auckland home last night. 

Winston Peters says they stayed until about 8.30pm, when police moved them along. 

The Government's currently progressing a law to make protesting outside someone's home an offence.

Peters says they were blasting away about two metres from his front door, and he told the cops he'd had enough. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Zealand will pay six million dollars to the Sarmoran
government as a result of the sinking of the Manawanui.
It's been a year since the navy ship ran aground
and sank off the coast of sar War. Winston Peters
is the Foreign Minister. High Winston Good afternoon. What's the money.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
For, Well, it's to help out with respect to a
disasters thinking of a naval vessel, the Manavanui in October
of last year and as arranged the Salmon government.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, aren't we doing all of the cleanup?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
We've done most of cleanup already, yes, in fact, but
you know this is the disasters I say, the full
scale investigation is yet to be closed. But having gone
to all the trouble with ron Mark to get the
vessel in the first place has been the most frustrating
thing to happen. But here we are. We've got to
fix it up and keep our name.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
But what I'm trying to get to is, if we've
done the cleanup, then what's this money for.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, because we can't say there was absolute certainty that
we've got everything cleaned up, and so the contingency may
arise and as I say, some of the complication has
been that when we were talking about the summer money,
there was then the course the snap election, virtually a
snap election in Samoa, so things were on hold and
here we are. So I'm trying to deal with that.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Okay, fair enough. Listen, those kids who are being held
in Israel and detention, are they okay?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes, they are Okay. This is fascinating. I mean, we're
hearing so much performance of propaganda. But one of them
has now gone on a hunger strike. Should mean yeah,
first of all, they weren't getting any food and getting
any water. Now one's going on a hunger strike.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, I think that has occurred to many of us, Winston.
But look, so you're confident that they're not being because
there are reports you will have read them. Gressa's being
beaten up and so on. It's not happening to these kids.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
I would believe that that is totally and utterly false.
Wait till we get the photographs when it's all over
and see there's any evidence of all that. But this
is the kind of behavior that they engage in. Sad
to say, And the sad thing is that there's a
real purpose, in a real manner. We're dealing with the
tragedy of Gaza and it's not going to be sold
by virtue signal.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Now, what are you guys doing to get them back?

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Well, we've got Foreign Affairs was engaged from day one
out of Turkey and closer areas to ensure that the
Israeli government knew what our expectation was and we expect
them to deliver. This is not the first time it's happened.
Of course, it happened with Marimn Davidson when she went there.
So you know, this is the first time in history
where Pe the people who've kidnapped them don't want them

(02:37):
to be there. This is a brother unusual like crime
going on here, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
It's a very good point. Listen. On a more serious note,
were those protesters at your house last night? Again? Yes
they were, and they scarped by eight thirty when the
cops turned up.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Well, the cops told them to go home. Yeah, that's
after about it now and a half. And I mean
you've got young tool and your babies, you got all
sorts of people in the neighborhood, all been worken up
with an absolute total breach of the noise abankment laws
of our country and of Auckland.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Are they quite noisy? Winston?

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Well, they got louds figures and sell them, got quite
a few of them. Then they're blasting away just about
two meters from the front door. Thinking that's a fair go,
and I decided, you know, I'd tell the cops I've
had enough.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
How long has this been going on for?

Speaker 2 (03:28):
I'll be going for quite a long time. But here's
the rub. More protests have been held when we weren't there,
none not at home, and so the neighborhood to put
up it then when we were at home.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Winston, thanks very much, appreciate your time. That's Winston Peter's
Foreign Affairs minister. We'll come back to this business about
the protests. It's just quickly update. Over the weekend, Regretta
Tunberg is that one of the Turkish activists who are
on the flottilla said they dragged little Gretta by her
hair before our eyes. This is in the Guardian, beat
her and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. And
they're also complaining that they've put her in a cell

(03:59):
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