Leading political and public figures in New Zealand condemn it Labor Minister Jacinda Ardernwho unexpectedly resigned on Thursday, subjected to “unprecedented” harassment and threats which has only increased in recent years.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, the country’s first woman to hold the post, said Ardern faced “unprecedented” levels of attack during her tenure, which began in 2017 and was re-elected in 2020. always high, but in the age of social media, clickbait and 24/7 news, Jacinda has faced unprecedented levels of hate and harassment in our country.”
The leader of the Maori Party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, described Ardern as an “extraordinary leader” who was “dismissed due to constant defamation”. “His family faced the worst possible attacks for the last two years,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
On Thursday, Ardern surprisingly announced that he would resign no later than February 7, as he had no “energy” to continue, but said harassment directed at him or his family was not a “determining factor” in his resignation. .
New Zealand Police reported last June: Threats to Ardern nearly tripled over the past three years, partly due to the anti-vaccine movement that sparked mass protests in 2022 and opposition to laws to regulate firearms after the Christchurch attack in 2019. Opposition groups, sometimes abusive, are broadcasting Radio New Zealand this Friday, adding that in 2022 “several people have been arrested for threatening to assassinate the leader.”
Kate Hannah, director of the Project Against Disinformation in New Zealand, states that “the misogyny and violence directed at Ardern has not only increased in volume over the past two years, but has become more dangerous”. His direct and friendly leadership style has been widely applauded at home and abroad, his popularity waning in part as a result of his government’s rise as well as a surge of criticism against the covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and subsequent anti-vaccine movement. prices and the threat of recession.