Man apologises after outburst during debate on lobbying for Bill
A man who interrupted a Dunedin City Council committee meeting with an outburst during a debate about Israel has apologised.
Deputy mayor Cherry Lucas was speaking at the community services committee meeting on Wednesday, when a man burst in and shouted at councillors, using an expletive and accusing them of being cowards.
Council chief executive Sandy Graham said the conduct was unacceptable.
"We understand the issue discussed [on Wednesday] is incredibly emotive for people across our community, but that is no justification for the behaviour from one member of the public," she said.
"Councillors and our staff are entitled to a safe work space and members of the public need to respect this even when difficult and emotive issues are being debated."
Ms Graham said the man apologised to her and to Cr Lucas.
Security guards were at the meeting, as they normally were, and there would be a debrief, Ms Graham said.
Cr Lucas said she was quite taken aback by the incident, but she appreciated the person reaching out to apologise.
The committee was debating whether it should lobby for government MPs to support Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick's Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill.
The resolution, which asked Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich to write to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters on the subject, passed on committee chairwoman Marie Laufiso's casting vote, after a 7-7 tie.
A series of speakers during the meeting's public forum made arguments about putting pressure on Israel and a large crowd — in the chamber and nearby gallery — watched the council debate.
Cr Bill Acklin said during the debate he had observed disrespectful conduct.
"I'm talking about elected members around this table, and I'm talking about submitters that had already spoken," he said.
"If somebody was saying something that didn't agree with their narrative, they were chuckling away and whispering to each other and shaking their heads — that's disrespect."
grant.miller@odt.co.nz
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