Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 10, 2022

JUAN ZARAMA PERINI/Stuff

A vehicle with a swastika painted on its roof has concerned locals on a Wainuiomata street.

A car sporting a painted swastika on its roof has upset residents in a Lower Hutt street and prompted fresh debate about whether New Zealand should move to ban the Nazi symbol.

It was first noticed parked in the suburb of Wainuiomata last weekend, shocking some who live nearby.

"It's not what you want your kid to see when they look out the window," one resident, who did not want to be named, said.

They did not believe the owner of the car was affiliated with the Mongrel Mob, which also uses the swastika as a symbol. He was a young, white skinhead with Nazi symbols all over.

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Residents have filed complaints with Hutt City Council, which issued three tickets for no warrant of fitness, licence on an exemption, and no rear licence plate on Wednesday.

On Thursday, a seven-day removal notice was issued, meaning the owner has a week to move the car or risk having it towed.

The vehicle was not registered in the area, a council spokesperson said.

A police spokesperson said three reports had been received about the car two on Sunday and one on Wednesday. While the image may be offensive, it was not a criminal matter, they said.

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The outgoing chief censor says its important to find the balance between freedom of expression and hate speech to do the job effectively. (Video first published May 2022)

In June, Victoria became the first Australian state to ban the display of the Nazi swastika, following a sharp increase in anti-Semitic incidents. Lawbreakers face up to a year in jail or a $24,000 fine.

Three other states are considering similar laws.

Massey University professor Dr Paul Spoonley, who has extensively researched the far-right, white supremacy and anti-Semitism, said a ban was something New Zealand should consider.

We really need to establish whether the use of those symbols is a criminal offence, he said. I do think we need to have that debate about where free speech ends and we get into material that is deeply offensive and a threat to others.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

Massey University professor Dr Paul Spoonley.

Spoonley said it wasnt clear whether the current reforms on hate speech and hate crimes would cover the display of Nazi symbols. The swastika on the vehicle was out there and in your face.

Jewish Council of New Zealand spokesperson Juliet Moses said the symbol was repulsive and threatening.

Actually driving around making a very public display of it is hugely concerning, because what does that say about where we're at in terms of a society, that actually somebody feels able to do that?

The symbol was not only horrifying for those in the Jewish community, Holocaust survivors and descendants, but also for people who lost family members or were injured or traumatised during the fight against Nazism, she said.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Jewish Council of New Zealand spokesperson Juliet Moses.

Displays of the symbol needed to be recorded and those who displayed them monitored, Moses said.

Looking at a persons intentions and the context was important, she said, when comparing the use of the symbol by the Mongrel Mob.

I understand that in many cases these are disaffected people and they're using them for shock value, but they're responsible for their own actions and if they are using a symbol like that they should understand what it means and how it affects other people.

The use of Holocaust analogies and people wearing the yellow star at the Parliament protest showed a misuse and misunderstanding of the Holocaust and a lack of historical literacy, Moses said.

A 2021 survey of anti-Semitism in New Zealand released in March this year, which followed a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, found 63% of respondents agree with at least one anti-Semitic view.

Former New Zealand Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman wrote in the survey's foreword the results showed classic anti-Semitism has re-emerged particularly during the pandemic as Holocaust denial had become conflated with conspiracy theories and alt-right politics.

History tells us that whenever societal cohesion breaks down or is at risk, anti-Semitic attitudes, memes and actions soon surface, Gluckman said.

The Ministry of Justice said new minister Kiri Allan was being provided with advice from across her portfolio, including the incitement and hate crime work.

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'Repulsive' swastika painted on car appals residents and Jewish community - Stuff

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