Saturday, February 8

And just like that, Golriz Ghahraman is gone…

And just like that, Golriz Ghahraman is gone – and while some will no doubt attempt to paint her resignation as ‘honourable’ – I’m not about to do that.

We all make mistakes – but Ghahraman embodied everything that is wrong with leftwing politics. Certainly, the Green Party that she represented promotes policies that are rotten to the core – but she was in a class of her own in respect of the divisive ideas that she promoted.

Born in Iran in 1981, her family sought political asylum in New Zealand in 1990. But unlike other refugees who have gone on to maximise the huge opportunities that this country has given them – Ghahraman has devoted her life to trying to destroy the very things that make New Zealand the incredible nation that it is.

After gaining a Law Degree from Auckland University, Ghahraman worked as a Lawyer for the UN and also worked on the defence of former Yugoslavian dictator Radovan Karadžić.

She returned to NZ in 2012 and was elected as a Green Party list MP in 2017. Since then, she has embedded herself in protest politics and advocacy for an extreme form of socialism. She was also at the forefront of many of the anti-freedom initiatives of the last Government including moves to introduce so-called ‘hate speech’ legislation and other divisive race-based policies – actively seeking to undermine the very things which underpin the foundations of her adopted country.

And despite coming from one of the most repressive regimes in the world (Iran), Ghahraman also refused to criticise growing extremism in that part of the world and even lobbied for our Government to facilitate the return of a New Zealander who had joined the Islamic State in 2014.

But, for me, it’s Ghahraman’s attitude toward Israel for which she most deserves our contempt. A blatant antisemite – she has repeatedly abused her position, using it as a platform from which to misrepresent the key issues facing Israel in the Middle East – thereby, inciting hatred and violence toward Jews amongst her easily influenced supporters.

Her continued use of the genocidal slogan ‘from the river to the sea’ – despite knowing that this is an incitement to violence and refers to the elimination (death) of all Jews in Israel – should, on its own, have disqualified her from office. Instead, sections of the media have continued to treat her as some sort of rock star while ignoring information which brought balance to the facts of the conflict.

The irony of the offence which ultimately brought her down – when contrasted with the aura of sainthood that some media had attempted to construct around her – is an indictment on the superficial basis upon which we judge merit and the stupidity of many in the media. Whether it was also indicative of more hypocrisy within the ranks of the Green Party – only time will tell.

Ghahraman will be remembered (if at all) for the fomenting of division, violence, envy – and theft. Hardly a legacy that anyone should be proud of.

She won’t be missed….

Author