Peters Draws Condemnation Over 'Go Back' Slur as 2 Auckland Students Say It Hurts Belonging
Updated
Updated · RNZ · Jul 31
Peters Draws Condemnation Over 'Go Back' Slur as 2 Auckland Students Say It Hurts Belonging
3 articles · Updated · RNZ · Jul 31
Summary
Auckland’s Chinese community and Asian leaders condemned Winston Peters after he told Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country” during a parliamentary debate.
2 international students told RNZ the remark left them shocked, angry and less certain they were welcome in New Zealand, warning it could deepen divisions and weaken Asian New Zealanders’ sense of belonging.
Christopher Luxon rebuked Peters on Thursday for “inappropriate, attention-seeking comments,” and the Chinese Embassy said it had raised concerns with New Zealand’s foreign ministry.
Asian Network chief executive Vishal Rishi said such rhetoric was becoming normalized after similar remarks by other politicians in recent months, urging ethnic communities to vote in the November election.