Matua Kahurangi: When protest crosses the line

The dangerous drift of the radical left in New Zealand

It’s getting really unhinged out there. What started as political protest is now turning into intimidation and violence, and it’s coming entirely from the loony left. The latest example is the madness that unfolded outside Winston Peters’ Auckland home, where a protester allegedly smashed a window during their useless pro-Palestine demonstration. According to RNZ, a 29-year-old man has been arrested and charged with burglary after the incident, which left glass scattered across Peters’ dog’s bed. That’s not activism. That’s aggression.

People have every right to protest, to voice anger, to demand change. However, there’s a line between standing up for what you believe in and stalking politicians at their homes. Sharing addresses online, turning up outside private residences, and smashing windows isn’t freedom of speech, it’s harassment. What’s frightening is how normalised this behaviour is becoming within parts of the activist left, and how little outrage we hear from their political allies.

Actress and activist Acacia O’Connor is a perfect example of how reckless this movement has become. She publicised Winston Peters’ personal address online and encouraged people to join a pro-Palestine protest outside his home. She’s since said she regrets revealing the street name, but that hardly excuses it. When you share a public figure’s private details, you know exactly what might follow. It’s no surprise One NZ has now dropped her from its advertising campaigns. Actions have consequences, or at least they should.

What’s even more concerning is the deafening silence from the Greens. Sure, there’s been the usual half-hearted condemnation of violence, but where’s the leadership? Where’s the clear message that turning up at a politician’s house is completely unacceptable? The Greens have spent years feeding the politics of outrage, and now they’re watching as parts of their own movement spiral into something darker. If they want to prove they stand for peace and justice, they need to start by condemning intimidation when it comes from their own side.

The left loves to talk about “holding power to account,” but that doesn’t mean terrorising people in their own homes. Winston Peters might not be everyone’s favourite politician, but that’s irrelevant, he still deserves to feel safe in his house. We’re supposed to live in a democracy, not a country where mobs show up at your door because they don’t like your policies. When public figures start fearing for their safety, democracy itself takes a hit.

There’s also a staggering double standard at play. If this had been a right-wing protester targeting someone from the Greens, the outrage would be deafening. The same people now staying quiet would be demanding police crackdowns, hate speech charges, and national soul-searching. Because the perpetrator aligns with their politics, it’s brushed off as passion.

This isn’t about Palestine anymore, it’s about the growing sense that parts of the left believe they’re above the law. They think that because their cause is righteous, any method is justified. That’s exactly how movements lose their moral authority. The minute you decide that intimidation and property damage are acceptable tools for “justice,” you’ve become what you claim to oppose.

New Zealand needs to get serious about protecting personal boundaries and public order. Sharing politicians’ addresses online should carry real consequences. Protesting outside someone’s home should be an offence. You can march, chant, and campaign as much as you like, but you leave people’s families, pets, and private lives alone.

The left in this country has become so blinded by ideology that it’s lost all sense of proportion. Smashing windows isn’t activism. Doxxing isn’t free speech. And silence from those in positions of influence isn’t neutrality, it’s complicity. The left is becoming dangerous, and if this kind of behaviour continues unchecked, it won’t just be property at risk next time. It’ll be people.

Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.