People within the Indigenous Māori community of “New Zealand” have been protesting a racist bill that was recently introduced by that country’s right-wing government. On Nov. 14, Minister of Regulation David Seymour introduced a bill known as the “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill” or the “T

Tens of thousands of Māori rights activists and allies converged on the Parliament in the capital city of Wellington two days before the bill sponsored by the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT) New Zealand, also known as the ACT Party, was introduced.

That protest coincided with a nine-day march in mid-November that has been deemed the largest march in New Zealand’s history. A Dec. 24 PBS report shows footage of the marchers braving the rain, wearing traditional Māori clothing and carrying the black, white and red Māori flag of self-determination, as well as Palestinian flags. They also carried pictures of elders from generations past.

The same day that Seymour, a leader of the far-right ACT party, introduced the bigoted bill, several Members of Parliament who represent the Māori community protested its proposal. The MPs performed a traditional, ceremonial dance known as “Haka,” and in the Māori language, they chanted, “Kill the bill!”

MP member Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke initiated the Haka ritual on the floors of Parliament by ripping up a copy of the bill. She is the youngest MP in New Zealand. She and most of the other MPs who participated in the ceremonial demonstration are members of the Te Pāti Māori (Māori Party).