A 29-year-old man has been charged after allegedly smashing a window at New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ Auckland home with a crowbar and pinning a note to the door that read “welcome to the real world,” officials confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Peters’ spokesperson, glass shattered over the minister’s dog, which had been sleeping beneath the window. The incident occurred on Monday amid rising tensions over New Zealand’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Peters has faced mounting criticism from protest groups and opposition parties after announcing that New Zealand would not join Australia, Britain, and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state. Demonstrations have since been held outside his residence.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, during a session marking the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Peters condemned the vandalism and other acts targeting politicians’ homes.
“The violent targeting of private homes by some protesters is a disgrace,” he said. “It has caused distress to our families and disturbed the peace of our neighbours. Means such as these corrupt the protesters’ ends, such as they are.”
Peters also expressed outrage on social media, calling the act “truly gutless” and warning against the growing trend of harassment toward public officials. “When we have protesters, political bloggers, and MPs alike encouraging this behaviour, posting politicians’ home addresses online, and acting with pure ignorance and extremism, this is the result,” he wrote on X. “All of New Zealand needs to be deeply concerned.”
Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Sunny Patel confirmed that the suspect voluntarily turned himself in and will appear in court on October 10.
“Police recognise the right to lawful protest,” Patel said, “however, we will not condone protest action where property is damaged.”
Authorities continue to investigate the incident as part of wider concerns about escalating political intimidation and protest-related vandalism.
Melissa Enoch
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