{"id":24844,"date":"2025-09-16T01:09:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/24844\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T01:09:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:09:07","slug":"act-mp-simon-courts-pro-palestine-terro-dress-up-quip-prime-minister-christopher-luxon-says-comment-unhelpful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/24844\/","title":{"rendered":"Act MP Simon Court\u2019s pro-Palestine \u2018terro dress up\u2019 quip: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says comment unhelpful"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPlaying terro dress-up on weekend, go to work Monday feeling smug about the protest, not realising that most Kiwis they work with don\u2019t actually share their emotional antisemitism [sic],\u201d the MP added.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said the term \u201cterro\u201d was believed to mean \u201cterrorist chic\u201d \u2013 a phrase used to describe a cultural trend associated with military or revolutionary groups.<\/p>\n

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson called it out: \u201cHistory will judge this Government and people like Simon Court for failing to act against the genocide in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for the Government to show a spine, sanction Israel and recognise Palestinian statehood,\u201d Davidson said. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Seymour is standing by Court for his remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere at Act, we don\u2019t punish MPs for speaking their minds and Simon Court has every right to call it as he sees it. Free speech means people may say things others find uncomfortable, but it is far better than silencing those who speak up against extremism,\u201d Seymour said to Newstalk ZB.<\/p>\n

The Act leader added that the party supports the right to protest, but said the rally was a \u201cdeliberate disruption to everyday people\u2019s lives\u201d and an event that \u201cwhether protesters admit it or not, implicitly condones the terrorist actions of Hamas\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not on in a country that values peace and democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saying you care while waving a flag and chanting for ethnic cleansing isn’t really that caring. Playing terro dress up on weekend, go to work Monday feeling smug about the protest, not realising that most Kiwis they work with don’t actually share their emotional antisemitism. pic.twitter.com\/7M1zy1U1YE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Simon Court (@SimonCourtACT) September 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Court added that Hamas \u201cmight imagine they can win against a weak and divided West. They are wrong. Kiwis and our allies will never give in to this attempt to divide us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Act MP said the only way forward was for Hamas to release the hostages it is holding.<\/p>\n

Cabinet is today considering its options on whether New Zealand recognises a Palestinian state \u2013 previously deemed as a matter of when, not if.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Newstalk ZB\u2019s Mike Hosking Breakfast on the war on Gaza, Luxon noted \u201cit\u2019s a pretty complex issue\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve seen protests over the weekend, there\u2019s a range of views about whether recognition is appropriate or not appropriate,\u201d Luxon said, addingthat Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters would have more to say in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Thousands of protesters<\/a> joined a rally in Auckland over the weekend, which was initially planned for Auckland\u2019s Harbour Bridge before severe weather warnings<\/a> forced a change in plans.<\/p>\n

MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori joined the protest<\/a>, which included calls for further sanctions on Israel. Some signs at the rally referenced Green Party co-leader Chl\u00f6e Swarbrick\u2019s \u201cspine<\/a>” remark that landed her in hot water in Parliament.<\/p>\n

In August, Seymour took issue with MPs draping their seats in Parliament with keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress, saying it would not be ideal if every Member of Parliament decorated their seats based on what side they take in a conflict.<\/p>\n

Last year, the coalition Government designated Hamas in its entirety<\/a> as a terrorist group, following New Zealand listing its military wing as a terrorist entity since 2010.<\/p>\n

The Government has confirmed a formal decision on recognising a Palestinian state will be made in September, following Cabinet \u201ccarefully<\/a>\u201d weighing up the issue.<\/p>\n

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament\u2019s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.<\/p>\n