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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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As in most Western societies, a certain amount of anti-Semitic feeling has been present in New Zealand for quite some time.[1][page needed] This feeling was not particularly strong, however, as evidenced by the fact that Julius Vogel, a practising Jew, was able to become Premier in 1873. Vogel did, however, suffer jibes about his faith, and political cartoonists frequently employed various Jewish stereotypes against him. 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, "possibly the most widely read and influential political writer New Zealand has ever produced", incorporated anti-semitism into his writing, particularly his 1896 political treatise Might Is Right. Numerous editions of the book have been printed and it found new popularity with neo-Nazi groups in the 21st century.[2]

20th century

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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.[3]

21st century

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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).[4][5]

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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8][9] 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.[8]

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.[10][11][12]

Notable organisations and people

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Organisations

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People

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References

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  1. ^ Goldman, Lazarus Morris, The history of the Jews in New Zealand, 1958
  2. ^ "Radical: the story of Arthur Desmond". Radio New Zealand. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Nazis, Zap And Trim Out". The New Zealand Herald. 20 June 1983. p. 2.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "New Zealand killer says his model was Nazi-allied British fascist". The Forward/Times of Israel. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Fascism 2.0: Lessons from six months in New Zealand's largest white supremacist group". Critic – Te Arohi. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Action Zealandia, NZ's largest neo-Nazi group, on the hunt for new recruits". NZ Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  12. ^ "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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