John MacDonald: Why is Russia's ambassador still in New Zealand defending the undefendable?

After all the huffing and puffing about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, can you believe that Vladimir Putin’s ambassador still hasn’t been kicked out of New Zealand? 
Or “expelled” as they call it in diplomatic circles. 
National’s foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee can’t believe it either. He’s particularly upset about it after the Russian Embassy in Wellington has been defending the invasion on social media and he wants the Ambassador kicked out of the country ASAP. And I’m with Gerry Brownlee a hundred percent on this one. 
The social media stuff he’s talking about all happened in the past week. 
Last Thursday, after that appalling missile strike on the maternity and children’s hospital in Ukraine, the Russian Embassy in Wellington went on Facebook claiming that the hospital was empty and was just being used by the Ukrainians for firing practise. 
Forget about the three people who died and the 17 others who were injured – all fake news according to the Russian Embassy in Wellington. 
The next day (Friday last week), the Embassy was back on Facebook accusing the United States and NATO of running biological military programmes in Ukraine. Something the US and NATO have denied. But that didn’t stop the Russian Embassy in Wellington saying it. 
And I’ve had a look at its Facebook page today and it’s still at it. Peddling Putin’s propaganda. 
Posting statements from Russia’s Defence and Foreign ministries that talk about Ukraine firing missiles into Russian neighbourhoods, people dying. Propaganda videos of Russian soldiers “apparently” delivering food and other aid to people in Ukraine. 
It’s just nuts. And this is all coming from the Russian Embassy in Wellington. 
And Gerry Brownlee, quite rightly, is saying ‘why do we still have a representative of Putin’s regime here in New Zealand spreading this propaganda on social media?’. 
I’m saying: How can we possibly tolerate the representative of someone who has shown himself to be – at best – a war criminal? Why on earth aren’t we kicking his ambassador out of the country? 
I see Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is trotting out the usual weasel words. Here’s what she’s got to say about the Embassy in Wellington’s social media activity: 
“While we can’t prevent another government from posting on social media, we encourage anyone who sees potentially harmful information to not spread or share it.” 
Do me a favour! 
Yes, Minister – you can’t control what these war freaks do on Facebook, but you can kick their representative out of the country. And why aren’t you doing it? 
You can pass legislation that lets you throw sanctions at Russia – and you’ve done all that. But how can you possibly defend the fact that Putin still has one of his lackeys sitting in Wellington – and not just sitting in Wellington, but spreading vile untruths on social media. 
“His excellency” – as the Embassy’s website refers to him – can do what he wants on Facebook. But let him do it in Moscow, not Wellington. 
Because, in my view, by allowing the Russian Ambassador to stay in New Zealand, we are guilty of harbouring someone who is party to one of the most appalling war crimes in modern history. 
The fact that this ambassador's embassy is also trying to defend the undefendable on social media, makes it all the more despicable.

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