No one is worried about “hate speech” against Judaism and Christianity. This is all about Islam. A law criminalizing “hate speech” against religion will almost certainly be used to silence all criticism of Islam, including even simple opposition to jihad violence and Sharia oppression. After all, such opposition has been smeared as “hate speech” by jihad sympathizers and jihad enablers for years.
More on this story. “NZ Election 2020: Labour wouldn’t stop with just religion in hate speech crackdown,” by Tova O’Brien, Newshub, September 24, 2020:
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has promised a crackdown on hate speech if two things happen: one, if she’s re-elected Prime Minister and two, if she can avoid governing with New Zealand First.
The policy announcement wasn’t planned, but after a visit to Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque on Thursday, the Imam there called for the Government to step in on hate speech to prevent another attack like March 15.
Ardern returned to Al Noor mosque to finally unveil a memorial plaque, after the last two attempts were curtailed by COVID-19 restrictions. Survivors of the March 15 attacks and their families couldn’t have been more thrilled to see her.
Taking the opportunity to push for change, the Imam Gamal Fouda expressed how he wanted to prevent another attack.
“Freedom of speech becomes hate speech,” he said at the unveiling. “Hate turns into hate crime as we have seen at the 15th of March.”
There’s no specific hate speech law in New Zealand. The Human Rights Act covers it, but only on the grounds of colour, race or ethnicity – not religion. Fouda wants to see a new law differentiating between hate speech and free speech.
“I’d like to see a new law in New Zealand and I think New Zealand has seen a lot and we went through a lot. The blood of those people shouldn’t be forgotten,” he said.
Labour had promised change this term but failed, but on Thursday renewed its pledge to make it happen.
“We haven’t been able to deliver that last term but my intention would be, if we’re able to form Government, that we would,” Ardern said.
“Religion hasn’t been included in that, my view is that does need to change and that would be our plan if we were privileged enough to form Government again.”…