The Mori Party has called for a joint task force to investigate anti-Mori hate speech shortly after laying an official complaint alleging police inaction over a video pulled from YouTube for violating terms.
We are experiencing an unprecedented increase in racist rhetoric across social media by white supremacist organisations that is inciting hate speech and violence against tangata whenua, Mori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said.
A joint statement from Te Pti Mori (Mori Party)s Ngarewa-Packer and co-leader Rawiri Waititi on Wednesday afternoon called for a joint taskforce between the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) and the police to investigate targeting of Mori by right-wing extremist groups.
The video, which was seen by Stuff before being removed from YouTube last week for violating its hate speech policy, features a masked man calling for the slaughter of Mori and calls for a civil war.
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Police on Wednesday said they had conducted a search and were taking the matter seriously but, because it was an open investigation, could not comment further.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon: We need to learn the lessons of March 2019 and take any such threats seriously.
The party had officially asked Minister for SIS, Andrew Little, about setting up the taskforce and would be talking to police bosses about it soon.
The party on Tuesday confirmed it had filed a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) alleging police had not done enough about the video, posted online on Sunday then removed by YouTube on Monday.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon, could not talk about individual cases, especially those being investigated by police, but said New Zealand could not tolerate racism in any form.
Mori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says police actions amount to racial injustice.
I would hope our law enforcement authorities would pursue any case and crack down hard on anyone found to threaten violence against any group, Foon said.
We need to learn the lessons of March 2019 and take any such threats seriously.
There had been a number of recent cases of harmful and often racist rhetoric being used against Mori, he said.
The situation was unfolding at the same time that National MP Simeon Brown said a Mongrel Mob tangi, including a procession of vehicles blocking a highway in Hawkes Bay was unacceptable.
Brown told police he received death threats and a 22-year-old man was arrested on Saturday and charged with threatening to kill.
Ngarewa-Packer alleged police handled the two cases differently Brown got the full weight of the police force behind him, while the man who posted the hate speech video was spoken to but not seen as a threat due to mental health issues.
It reeks of racial injustice and white privilege, Ngarewa-Packer said.
Brown on Wednesday said all complaints to police should be taken seriously regardless of who was making the report. He was empathetic to anyone who was threatened.
IPCA general manager Warren Young confirmed a complaint had been received but said it was too soon to say what action would be taken.
The police are doing a forensic examination of material on a computer and need to investigate this thoroughly, Police Minister Poto Williams said.
Police need to investigate the situation thoroughly so that were sure we can maximise what happens to this person, Police Minister Poto Williams said when questioned about the Mori Partys complaint during a visit to the Waikato.
The police are at the moment doing a forensic examination as I understand it, of the material thats on the computer. So Im really supportive that they do their work and do it well.
It should never have happened in the first place, so lets make sure the police are given all the tools they can to investigate this properly.
Williams said she had contacted Ngarewa-Packer after she became aware and asked if there was anything she could do to support.
We never want that situation to be there for anyone, whether youre a member of the public or an MP. Thats a dreadful situation.