Look what Lloyd Burr found – Bill English: ‘We don’t need Middle East leftovers’
Prime Minister Bill English once described Middle Eastern asylum seekers as “leftovers” who should be blocked from entering New Zealand.
Just over 10 years ago he criticised then-Prime Minister Helen Clark as being a “soft touch” on migrants – and promised a National Government would “turn the green light red”.
“New Zealand is now seen as a soft touch for other fascists, terrorists, whoever is on the losing side in bad regimes, unwanted at home and unable to get into any other country,” he said.
The comments were written in a National Party newsletter by Mr English on May 9, 2005. He was discussing the case of Ahmed Zaoui – an Algerian refugee who had been granted asylum, despite being identified as a security risk by the SIS.
Scoop has a copy of the original release.
Compassionate conservatism in action. No wonder English was so tame in his criticism of Trump’s Muslim ban.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress