In the wake of United States’ ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, the Human Rights Commission has called on New Zealand to stand alongside Muslim New Zealanders.
“So many of us are feeling helpless, but the one thing we can do is let our own decision makers know that we will not allow hatred and intolerance to spread and become normalised here at home, not in our New Zealand,” Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy said in a speech at the Holocaust remembrance service in Wellington on Sunday, January 29.
“Tearful Kiwi Holocaust survivors told me last week they never thought they’d witness a return to the politics of hatred, division, and racism in their lifetime but it’s happening. They urged us all to stand up for the rights of refugees, Muslims, and minorities targeted by the powerful.”
Ms Devoy also called for police to record hate crime statistics to combat racism.
“This is not something they collect when responding to callouts. Free speech is one thing, hate speech is another. These things don't belong in my country, not in New Zealand,” she added.
She said that online hate speech also needed to be addressed, particularly in media website comment sections and on their social media pages.
“Ignoring the hatred and normalising it is how it starts… Hate starts small but so does hope. We need zero tolerance for hatred not just in our politics but in our everyday lives. We cannot afford to be bystanders and ignore injustice.
“Last year, a racist Neo-Nazi said he felt intimidated by something I wrote and my response to him is—good. We do not want you to feel comfortable, we do not want you to feel welcome wearing your Neo-Nazi uniform in our public places.”
Ms Susan said it is a good reminder to New Zealand politicians to keep it clean as we approach our next general election.
“We need to call out our own powerful decision makers if they use racism and division to push their campaigns, but it should not just be up to me—all of us need to let them know that we have zero tolerance for hate politics in Aotearoa.”