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Far-right politics in New Zealand

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Far-right politics in New Zealand has been present in New Zealand in the form of the organised advocacy of fascist, far-right, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and anti-Semitic views by various groups, although fascism has never gained a strong foothold.

Early anti-Semitism

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In 1892, there were objections raised in parliament and by representatives of workers against a planned arrival of 500 Russian Jewish immigrants. The reason for this is most likely not because they were Jews. This was an isolated incident of what appeared to be anti-semtism in New Zealand. In contrast, "the Jews in New Zealand had enjoyed a freedom unequalled anywhere else in the world. Before the immigration protests, no anti-semitism had ever appeared upon the surface. On the contrary, it could be stated that New Zealanders were pro-semitic."[1]: 141–143  Further indication that the feeling was not particularly strong is evidenced by the fact that Julius Vogel, a practising Jew, became Premier in 1873. Vogel did, however, suffer jibes about his faith, and political cartoonists frequently employed various Jewish stereotypes against him.[1]: 169  The fact that he served as treasurer was particularly played upon, with stereotypes of Jewish bankers and moneylenders being brought out. However, none of this anti-Semitism was conducted in an organised fashion, being simply the views of individuals rather than any sort of political movement.[citation needed]

New Zealander Arthur Desmond wrote Might Is Right which was published in 1896.[2]

20th century

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In the early 20th century, another more disciplined strain of anti-Semitism crystallised around the social credit theory. This theory, set out by the British engineer C. H. Douglas, was highly critical of bankers and financiers, believing that debt was being used to undermine people's rights. Douglas toured New Zealand in 1934 and expounded his view that Jews were involved in a global conspiracy to control finance.[3] An independent Social Credit Party was founded in 1953, but had ceased to be a vehicle for anti-semitism by the 1970s.[3] In the late 1970s the party became concerned about infiltration by the anti-semitic League of Rights and ejected members with racist views.[4][5]

Many anti-Semites later supported the League of Rights, an organisation originating in Australia which also had links to the social credit movement.[3] In the 1970's the League organised speaking tours in support of apartheid regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia, and advocated a tax revolt to break a "Zionist plot".[6]

Unlike some countries, New Zealand did not have any notable fascist organisations in the first half of the 20th century, although the New Zealand Legion was accused of having fascist leanings.[7] There were no real equivalents to the British Union of Fascists or the Silver Legion of America, although certain individuals, notably Lionel Terry and Arthur Nelson Field,[8] promoted white supremacist ideals.

In the post-war period, however, a number of fascist organisations became active. In 1968, the fascist activist Colin King-Ansell was jailed for an attack on a synagogue.[9][10] The following year, he established the National Socialist Party of New Zealand, and contested a number of elections under its banner. Later, he led a group called the National Socialist White People's Party, modelled after the party established by George Lincoln Rockwell in the United States. In 1977, King-Ansell was convicted of racial incitement and jailed for three months for distributing several thousand anti-Semitic leaflets.[11] The sentence was reduced to a $400 fine following an appeal in 1979.[12]

Another fascist group established in this period was the New Zealand National Front (NZNF). The National Front was established by Brian Thompson of Ashburton in 1968,[13] although its initial operations were erratic. Eventually, in 1989, a new organisation called the Conservative Front (founded by Anton Foljambe) absorbed the National Front and adopted its name. The now-defunct New Zealand Democratic Nationalist Party also dates from this time period.[14]

In 1981, a group called the New Force was founded. One of its founders and a member of its directorates was Kerry Bolton, who was also involved in the NZNF.[15] In 1983, the New Force was renamed the Nationalist Workers Party.[16] In 1983 the party called for the expulsion of Pacific Peoples.[17] In 1984 an attempt to distribute white supremacist pamphlets in Auckland led to threats of violence.[18] The pamphlets were seized by police and the party's leaders threatened with arrest.[19]

In 1981, a visit by South Africa's rugby team generated huge controversy due to South Africa's apartheid policies at the time. Colin King-Ansell and a number of other fascist figures took part in counter-demonstrations against anti-tour protesters.

In the 1990s, there was something of a resurgence in New Zealand fascism. A number of gangs with fascist views, notably Unit 88, gained considerable public attention. Colin King-Ansell was once again involved, although he distanced himself from Unit 88 when the media focused on it. Later, in March 1997, King-Ansell founded the New Zealand Fascist Union,[20] which described itself as being more closely modelled on Mussolini's Italy and Perón's Argentina than on Nazi Germany. The Fascist Union at one time claimed to have 500 members, the necessary number for official party registration, but the Union was never registered.[citation needed]

21st century

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In October 2004, the National Front held a small protest in Wellington to support retaining the current New Zealand flag.[21] They were met by an 800-strong counter-demonstration organised by the MultiCultural Aotearoa coalition and driven away.[22] According to The New Zealand Herald, Chapman complained the following day of "insufficient police protection".[23]

In 2009 Kyle Chapman established the Right Wing Resistance (RWR), a neo-Nazi skinhead organization. The organisation engaged in vigilante street patrols[24] and distributed racist flyers in cities throughout New Zealand.[25][26] During the 2011 New Zealand general election the group disrupted candidate meetings while wearing military-style uniforms.[27]

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the Australian-born perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, was an admitted fascist who admired Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British fascist organization British Union of Fascists (BUF), who is also quoted in the shooter's manifesto The Great Replacement (named after the French far-right theory of the same name).[28][29]

According to the sociologist Paul Spoonley, some notable far right groups in New Zealand as of 2020 have included the neo-nazi body-builder group Wargus Christi, the White nationalist Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia groups.[30]

According to a Stuff report, an alleged co-founder of the Dominion Movement was a New Zealand Defence Force soldier named Johann Wolfe, who is facing court martial for sharing information with an undisclosed group.[31] Action Zealandia is the successor to the Dominion Movement, which has opposed alleged Chinese political influence in New Zealand, the Global Compact for Migration, and denied the indigeneity of Māori to New Zealand.[32][33] According to Newsroom journalist Marc Daalder, Action Zealandia was linked to at least three potential crimes in March 2020 including a member named Sam Brittenden making an online threat against the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, posting a leaked New Zealand Police Financial Intelligence unit document, and alleged plans to start a terror cell and purchase weapons from like-minded groups such as the Atomwaffen Division.[32]

In August 2021 journalist and politician Elliot Weir of student newspaper Critic Te Ārohi reported an under-cover investigation of Action Zealandia, including their plans to infiltrate the New Zealand National and New Zealand Social Credit parties and plans to appeal to a broader group of people.[34][35][36]

Notable organisations and people

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Organisations

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People

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References

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  1. ^ a b Goldman, Lazarus Morris (1958). The history of the Jews in New Zealand. Wellington: Reed.
  2. ^ "Radical: the story of Arthur Desmond". Radio New Zealand. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "6. – Ethnic and religious intolerance". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Socred split looms over claims of anti-Semitic infiltration". The Press. 10 November 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  5. ^ "No racist, says member". The Press. 10 November 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  6. ^ "League urges tax revolt to break 'Zionist plot'". The Press. 21 November 1979. p. 6. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  7. ^ "The New Zealand Legion". Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ La Rooij, Marinus F. (2002). "From Colonial Conservative to International Antisemite: The Life and Work of Arthur Nelson Field". Journal of Contemporary History. 37 (2): 223–239. JSTOR 3180683.
  9. ^ Brianna McIlraith (8 October 2019). "Former right-wing leader fears past actions might be linked to burglary and fire at his Hāwera business". Stuff. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Two Admit Arson". The Press. 13 December 1967. p. 34. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  11. ^ "Three months imprisonment for racial incitement". The Press. 21 October 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  12. ^ Bill Hodge (1980). "CIVIL LIBERTIES IN NEW ZEALAND: DEFENDING OUR ENEMIES" (PDF). Otago Law Review. 4 (4): 464.
  13. ^ "New Political Group Formed". The Press. 30 January 1968. p. 26. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  14. ^ "Harsh threat by new party". The Press. 18 February 1976. p. 22. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  15. ^ "Nazis, Zap And Trim Out". The New Zealand Herald. 20 June 1983. p. 2.
  16. ^ "Party name change". The Press. 23 June 1983. p. 12. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  17. ^ "Expel Islanders, says party". The Press. 22 August 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  18. ^ "Mr Tauroa may act on literature". The Press. 4 September 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  19. ^ "Rightist pamphlets seized by police". The Press. 5 September 1984. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
  20. ^ "Ku Klux Kiwis". Australia/Israel Review. 17 February 1998. Archived from the original on 20 June 2005.
  21. ^ "Two groups poles apart to rally at Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 23 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  22. ^ "Three arrests, police officer hurt after National Front march". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 23 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  23. ^ "Hate speech laws could ban us, says National Front leader". The New Zealand Herald. Newstalk ZB. 24 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  24. ^ "Right-wing vigilantes on patrol in Christchurch". Stuff. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  25. ^ "White supremacist flyers offend". The Press. 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011.
  26. ^ "Right-wing group investigated for 'Asian invasion' flyer". 3News. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011.
  27. ^ "'Guerrillas' in camo gear 'spoil' meeting". Stuff. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  28. ^ Waxman, Olivia B. (17 March 2019). "What Historians of Fascism Think About The Suspected New Zealand Shooter's Declaration of Extremism". Time. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  29. ^ "New Zealand killer says his model was Nazi-allied British fascist". The Forward/Times of Israel. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  30. ^ a b Spoonley, Paul. "Far-right extremists still threaten New Zealand, a year on from the Christchurch attacks". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  31. ^ a b c Kerr, Florence; Manch, Thomas (22 January 2020). "Soldier alleged to have traded military information was leader of white nationalist group". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  32. ^ a b c Daalder, Marc (25 June 2020). "Army reservist linked to New Zealand far-right group". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  33. ^ a b Daalder, Marc (10 August 2019). "White supremacists still active in NZ". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Fascism 2.0: Lessons from six months in New Zealand's largest white supremacist group". Critic – Te Arohi. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  35. ^ "Action Zealandia, NZ's largest neo-Nazi group, on the hunt for new recruits". NZ Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Critic Te Arohi journalist goes undercover to reveal insider information from within neo-Nazi group Action Zealandia – and this is what they found". Newshub. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
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