MPs warned off celebrations for fear of upsetting Chinese

A leaked email that reveals the Government is warning MPs not to attend Falun Gong celebrations and that China will be spying on people who do has no place in a free society, Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Shearer says.

Advice sent from Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s office says Ministers and MPs should not attend World Falun Dafa Day events next week because of Chinese Embassy ‘sensitivities’.

“Not only that, it also states the Embassy will be monitoring the events, and is likely to make an official protest if any politicians or ‘other officials’ attend.

“It is outrageous to warn MPs off attending events. New Zealand has a proud history of free speech, freedom of religion and an independent foreign policy. It should be Kiwis and Kiwis only who should decide where they go and who they associate with.

“It should not be dictated by Murray McCully and his Ministry because they feel it might upset another country.

“This is further evidence of a government that his lost its way, its moral compass and the very principles on which New Zealand was founded on,” David Shearer says.

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