The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister Bill English to condemn Donald Trump’s racist law change to ban people from Muslim countries entering the United States.
“France and Germany have condemned Trump’s Muslim ban, and Canada has said it is open to those who need refuge. Sadly, New Zealand is missing from this conversation and looks weak by not standing up,” said Green Party immigration spokesperson Denise Roche.
“New Zealand has stood up for what’s right in the past by refusing to have nuclear warships in our waters, and we should stand up for what’s right again today.
“The National Government must immediately increase New Zealand’s intake of Syrian refugees given they are facing a huge humanitarian crisis, and the United States has shut its doors to them.
“The right thing to do is to stand up against oppression, racism and intolerance.
“We’re hearing reports of families being kept apart by Trump’s law change and being penalised for their ethnicity and religion. This is the very definition of racism, and we must stand up against it and help those who are victims of it,” said Ms Roche.