Drone protests too close to home
Prime Minister John Key has hit out at protesters who gathered at his home to protest against his position on deadly drone strikes.
Last week Key said drone strikes were justified, but acknowledged innocent civilians were caught in the crossfire.
He disagreed with critics who said drone killings were executions without trial, in which ordinary people were massacred.
‘‘For the most part drone strikes have been an effective way of prosecuting people that are legitimate targets,’’ he said.
‘‘But there are examples of where things have gone wrong and there are always examples, sadly . . . where things go terribly wrong and where civilians are killed.’’
On Sunday night, protesters including Internet Party leader Kim Dotcom and activist John Minto, gathered outside Key’s home in Parnell, for a candlelight vigil.
The group said it was highlighting New Zealand’s ‘‘complicity’’ in drone strikes, by providing information believed to be used in identifying targets.
Key said he was not happy about their presence outside his home.
‘‘My own personal view is that I am actually opposed to protests outside poli- tician’s houses. That includes my own house,’’ he said. ‘‘My reason for that is there were plenty of opportunities for legitimate people who wanted to protest, to protest me yesterday. I was at the CNI [central North Island] conference for the National Party in Hamilton – there was plenty of opportunity to do that.
‘‘But that’s the place [his home] where my family lives and I don’t think many New Zealanders would think it’s OK to wander round to David Cunliffe’s house and start protesting out there.’’