A man has been charged after a window of the New Zealand Foreign Minister’s home was smashed with a crowbar on Monday and a note pinned to his front door that said "welcome to the real world," the Minister's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The glass smashed all over Foreign Minister Winston Peters' dog, who was sleeping below the window, he added.
Peters has come under pressure from protest groups and opposition parties in recent days after he announced New Zealand would not be following Australia, Britain and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state amid the Israel-Gaza war. Protests have been held outside his Auckland home.
In a speech to the parliament on Tuesday discussing the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the current conflict, Peters told the parliament that the violent targeting of private homes by some protesters was "a disgrace."
"It has caused distress to our families and disturbed the peace of our neighbors. Means such as these corrupt the protesters' ends, such as they are."
Condemning the attack
Peters on Monday said in a social media post on X that he was not home but both his partner and a guest were.
“This is truly gutless,” it said. “When we have protesters, political bloggers, and MPs alike encouraging this behavior, posting politicians' home addresses online, and acting with pure ignorance and extremism, this is the result.”
"All of New Zealand needs to be deeply concerned," the post said.
Auckland City District Commander, Superintendent Sunny Patel said that a 29-year-old man who was believed to be responsible for the damage had handed himself in to police on Monday and would appear in court on October 10.
“I know these ongoing occurrences have caused angst and frustration amongst residents. Police recognize the right to lawful protest, however we will not condone protest action where property is damaged,” Patel said in a statement.