Today, a group of concerned New Zealanders will gather in Takutai Square, outside the Westpac Building in downtown Auckland, to protest the New Zealand Government’s inaction in the face of Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza. The peaceful demonstration will begin at 11:30 am with the symbolic placement of 18 bloodied, shrouded "bodies" across the square, representing the over 50,000 Palestinian lives lost. Protesters will be wearing hand-painted masks, replicas of artwork by Gaza-based Palestinian artist Reem Arkan, who is currently fighting for her life, alongside hundreds of thousands of others, displaced in Gaza.

The demonstration coincides with Prime Minister Rt Hon. Christopher Luxon’s scheduled address to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. The protesters say they chose this moment and location to highlight the alarmingly tepid response by the New Zealand government to what international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have described as war crimes and acts of collective punishment amounting to genocide.

"This week, we heard yet another call for Israel to abide by international law. This is not leadership. It’s appeasement," said a spokesperson for the protest. "The time for statements has long passed. What we are witnessing in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe, and New Zealand must impose meaningful sanctions. Israel’s actions, including the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, forced displacement, and obstruction of humanitarian aid, constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of which we are signatories."

Earlier this week, Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick challenged Prime Minister Luxon in Parliament over his government’s response. Luxon claimed that sanctions were in place; however, to date, the only measure taken has been a travel ban on 12 extremist Israeli settlers from the West Bank, an action that does nothing to protect the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza who face daily bombardment, siege, and starvation.

Protesters at Takutai Square are calling on the New Zealand Government to immediately:

• Impose sanctions on Israel
• Suspend all diplomatic and trade relations with Israel until there is an end to hostilities and full compliance with international humanitarian law

"This government must not be complicit in atrocities through silence and inaction," the spokesperson added. "The people of Aotearoa New Zealand demand leadership as the world watches a genocide unfold in real time."

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