Key’s evasiveness on ‘jihadi brides’ shows duplicity

John Key has many questions to answer at his post cabinet meeting today, after refusing this morning to provide key information to back up his claims about ‘jihadi brides”, the Green Party said today.

The Green Party has revealed that the Prime Minister knew on May 25 2015 - six months prior to first introducing the notion of Kiwi “jihadi brides” at the December Select Committee hearing - that no women had left New Zealand to join fighters in the Middle East.

“John Key made a calculated statement six months later about so called ‘jihadi brides’ in an attempt to whip up fear and suspicion of Muslim women in New Zealand,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

“The fear has real, everyday impacts on the lives of women living in New Zealand.

“After the Green Party’s latest revelations, John Key is refusing to answer or, conveniently, doesn’t remember basic information about the so called ‘jihadi brides’.

“After first seeding the notion of jihadi brides and whipping up fear of New Zealand Muslim women as a result, John Key has the obligation to clarify some basic points.

Firstly, how long had the women, if there was more than one, been living in Australia before they left?

“John Key says it’s irrelevant how long they were there, but that’s not true. He gave the impression that they’d been radicalised here. If they weren’t radicalised here, then New Zealand needs to know.

Did he ever ask, or was he ever told, that the women were travelling to the Middle East to marry terrorists? If so, how many went as so called brides?

“The Prime Minister is picking and choosing to release the information that suits his own particular narrative, regardless of the truth, and regardless of who he hurts,” said Mrs Turei.

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