The Hindu Board of New Zealand this morning condemned Tamaki’s “inflammatory, defamatory and hate-fuelled video”, saying the comments incited violence, arson and hatred against the diverse Indian diaspora.
The Hindu Board of New Zealand says recent social media comments made by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki can be seen as inciting violence and hatred. Photo / Alex Burton
The board called for the Government and police to “take suo moto cognizance and initiate legal action against Tamaki”, saying Police Minister Mark Mitchell “should demonstrate that calls to violence against any group will not be tolerated” in New Zealand.
“These statements can only be attributed either to ignorance or malicious intent.
“Normally Hindus would ignore such kerfuffle, but such calls to violence can trigger lone wolf attacks and endangers the life of law-abiding citizens.
“We call on the Government and the authorities to immediately take appropriate legal measures to prevent a tragedy.”
Tamaki responded by saying it is “absurd and dishonest” for the board to claim there was no evidence to support his views.
“Thousands of reports from credible international organisations document exactly what I spoke about,” he told the Herald.
“To try and dismiss this reality is an insult to the truth and to the victims.”
The board said Tamaki’s claims that Christians in India faced “persecution” from Modi, his administration and wider society were unsubstantiated.
Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell last week called Tamaki’s comments “the actions of a scared bully”. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The board also denounced Tamaki’s remarks around child marriage, saying the “fading” tribal custom was now illegal and declining in prevalence while comparing it to the biblical act of betrothal.
The church leader had taken aim at the Indian subcontinent’s dominant faiths, and alleged that child marriage was a custom still deeply ingrained in the country’s Hindu and Muslim communities.
His opposition to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was also mentioned and subsequently criticised by the board, who said there was no doubt the deal was strategically and economically beneficial for Kiwis.
“This is not reciprocity or ‘tit for tat’,” the board said.
“It is unprovoked, one-sided incitement to arson and violence against a law-abiding minority that has never threatened or harmed Christian places of worship in Aotearoa.”
Tamaki told the Herald his remarks came from a place of “patriotic and parental concern”, arguing serious human rights abuses were unfolding in India under Modi’s leadership.
He spoke of a recent US Commission on International Religious Freedom hearing, which concluded religious freedom in India was on “a downward trajectory, with the government tolerating particularly severe violations against Christians and other religions”.
Christian persecution in India was well-documented by international organisations and religious freedom groups, Tamaki said, while child marriage reports had been produced by the likes of Unicef, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and various UN groups.
“The Hindu Board statement calls my content ‘false claims’ while offering no valid evidence of their own.
New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a free trade deal with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi earlier this year.
“They also have the cheek to demand our New Zealand Government and police take ‘suo moto cognizance’ – that is an Indian legal practice, not a New Zealand one.
“Since when did we start imposing Indian law on New Zealanders?”
Tamaki said there needed to be a “national conversation” around the FTA’s contents, arguing it granted uneven benefits to India and that “unvetted, unchecked mass immigration” was contributing to the West’s decline.
“New Zealand cannot afford to turn a blind eye to religious persecution, child marriage, or any other human rights abuses just because trade deals are at stake.
“Our values and our children’s future must come first. I have every right as a Christian leader and a New Zealand patriot to be asking questions about all of this.
“I trust the word of these respected international bodies far more than the word of this Hindu Board.”
Last week, the Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand called Tamaki’s social media comments “verbal bullets of incitement and provocation”.
“Hateful rhetoric and the normalisation of verbal bullets towards religious and ethnic minorities can create … conditions for violent extremism,” they said.
“The March 15 terrorist used the same language, and we are seeing history repeating itself.”
Mitchell, also Ethnic Communities Minister, branded Tamaki’s comments “the actions of a scared bully”.
He told RNZ that police were assessing the remarks against the Human Rights Act’s legal thresholds.
Race Relations Commissioner Dr Melissa Derby said she was “utterly appalled” by Tamaki’s comments.
“This is not the kind of behaviour and rhetoric we should accept in this country, and it needs to stop,” she said.
“No individual or community here is responsible for the actions of overseas governments, groups or actors.
“Hindu, Sikh and Muslim New Zealanders belong here, and they have the right to live free from discrimination and harassment.”
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