Wellington [New Zealand], June 6: Three lawmakers in New Zealand were formally suspended from parliament on Thursday for performing a traditional Maori dance, or haka.
The three lawmakers, from the Te Pti Mori party, performed the haka in November, to oppose a bill that would have defined the principles of New Zealand's founding document.
On Thursday, parliament voted to ban party leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for 21 days. The previous longest ban from the country's parliament was three days.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand's youngest lawmaker at 22, was given a seven-day ban. All three will receive no pay during their suspensions.
"Parliament has sent a message to our mokopuna [future generations] that their Maori identity is a threat to New Zealand's democracy," the party wrote on X. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
