New Zealand MPs Kicked Out Of Parliament For Revealing Their Sexual Assault

New Zealand’s Parliament resulted in a walk-out Wednesday, as the speaker attempted to shout down and ultimately kicked out several female members of Parliament who disclosed they had been sexually assaulted.

The uproar began when Prime Minister John Key claimed that Labour and Green Party members “back the rapists” because they protested the treatment of Kiwis, some of whom have committed violent crimes, being detained in Australia.

“If you want to put yourself on the side of sex offenders, go ahead my son, but we’ll defend New Zealanders,” Key told one Labour MP on Tuesday.

One by one, the women stood up and said they took offense to the prime minister’s accusation because they were victims of sexual assault. Speaker David Carter immediately interrupted each of them and called for “order,” claiming they were “flouting the rules.” As the members continued to demand an apology from the prime minister, Carter demanded they leave the chamber.

After they were kicked out, the MPs told their stories of surviving sexual assault to New Zealand news show Story on TV3.

“I endured years of sexual abuse as a child so to come to parliament and to have the prime minister say that i back rapists is incredibly offensive,” Green Party MP Denise Roche said.

Metiria Turei said the prime minister “has no idea who he’s talking to.”

“When I was assaulted I didn’t think that anybody would believe me. So, like so many, I didn’t go to the police, I didn’t tell anyone,” she told Story. Some of the MPs said they had never told anyone about their assault before.

The MPs were sounding the alarm over a burgeoning deportation crisis of New Zealanders in Australia. The Australian government passed a new regressive law requiring the deportation of any foreign-born residents convicted of crimes carrying a sentence of at least a year, no matter how long they had lived in the country. As a result, New Zealanders are being indefinitely held for deportation over minor offenses. Among the detainees is a soldier with a glowing record who is reportedly being held not because he’s committed any crime but because he’s affiliated with a motorcycle club. The detention center was recently gripped by several days of rioting. Reports say detainees are being held solitary confinement and beaten.

Original Article
Source: thinkprogress.org/
Author: AVIVA SHEN