Protesters halt speech by US official

A leading United States official in the Aukus programme had to abandon her speech in Wellington yesterday after it was disrupted by proPalestinian and anti-Aukus protesters in the audience.

Bonnie Jenkins, the UnderSecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, has been appointed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the senior official to lead the State Department’s work on Aukus implementation. She was met by vocal protesters as she arrived at a lecture theatre behind the Old Government Buildings in Victoria University’s downtown campus.

She was about to begin her speech titled “meeting 21st Century Security Challenges Together” to about 100 people when a man in the audience jumped up and asked the audience to bow their heads in a moment’s silence to “think about all the Palestinians who have died from US-funded weapons in the last few months”. Most people obliged.

The protester then would not leave the front of the lecture theatre and began talking about genocide and international rights and said Jenkins was not welcome in New Zealand. Despite pleadings from the audience, he would not budge.

Jenkins was taken into an adjoining room by plainclothes police officers until the protester was escorted out by security guards.

Jenkins re-emerged and had just begun her speech when another member of the audience stood up, said a few words in te reo Ma¯ori, and said Jenkins was an embarrassment and “had no place in this country”. The protester unfolded a Palestinian flag.

Jenkins was escorted out again and police officers took away the protester.

While the audience continued to wait for Jenkins to return, a member of the International Socialist Organisation of Aotearoa commandeered the university equipment and put on an anti-Aukus video.

When it was announced the speech would not go ahead, protesters in the audience started chanting in celebration: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he was extremely disappointed to hear of the disruption.

“It showed contempt for the rest of those attending wishing to hear from the Under Secretary and reflects poorly on New Zealand.”

Jenkins met Defence Minister Judith Collins earlier in the week.