Yesterday, We Became Less of a Democracy

Yesterday, Benjamin Doyle rose in Parliament for their valedictory speech. What should have been a moment of recognition for service was instead an indictment of our democracy’s failure. Doyle spoke of Parliament as “the colonisers’ house,” a chamber built on exclusion and control. They described it as toxic, hostile, and not fit for purpose. Their departure was not the result of electoral defeat, but of intimidation so severe that continuing became impossible.

This is the essence of the “assassin’s veto” – when extremists override voters not by persuasion but by fear. The Green Party list that included Doyle was endorsed by New Zealanders exercising their democratic right. Yesterday, that mandate was undone in real time, as Doyle gave their farewell not because the people had rejected them, but because threats of violence left no other choice.

The implications are stark. When Doyle leaves, so too does a vital voice for rainbow communities, Māori, and disabled New Zealanders. Those perspectives have not merely receded; they have been actively driven out of our democratic institutions. As Doyle themselves made clear, this place was not built for people like them – and unless we act, it will remain unsafe for anyone who does not conform to the comfort of the powerful and conventional.

History offers grim warnings. The Weimar Republic collapsed when democracies failed to protect representatives from extremist violence. Britain lost Jo Cox to political assassination after years of unchecked harassment. Aotearoa is not yet there, but Doyle’s forced farewell is a dangerous step down that path. It sets the precedent that sustained threats succeed, and it tells marginalised communities that Parliament cannot guarantee their safety.

The tragedy is compounded by irony. In their resignation announcement, Doyle said, “I am leaving Parliament, I am not disappearing.” But the intent of extremist harassment is precisely to erase—to push representatives out of public life, to silence their voices, to narrow the scope of who may safely participate in democracy. Yesterday, in that chamber, their campaign succeeded.

Our institutions had months to prove they could protect Doyle and, by extension, all elected officials. They did not. Formal warnings and ongoing investigations are meaningless when the goal of the harassment has already been achieved. The message to the next target is plain: democracy will not protect you.

If we accept this, then our Parliament becomes a hollow shell, accessible only to those pre-approved by the most violent voices. Doyle’s valedictory was not just a personal farewell—it was democracy itself stepping back in the face of extremism.

The question now is whether we let this stand. Will we harden our laws against the harassment of elected officials? Will we provide adequate security for all MPs, not only ministers? Will we begin treating threats against democratic participation as the democratic crisis they are? Or will we simply wait for the next campaign of intimidation to claim another representative?

Democracy is not self-executing. It requires active protection. Yesterday, Doyle’s speech reminded us that we failed that test. Whether we learn from this failure will decide whether our democracy survives or whether it continues to narrow, until only the voices palatable to extremists remain.

Rights Aotearoa will not accept that outcome. Our Parliament must be a whare for all New Zealanders, at all times. The right to participate in the political process without fear is a universal human right—and we will defend it with all our strength.