Simon O’Connor
Husband, step-father, and longtime student of philosophy and history. Also happen to be a former politician, including chairing New Zealand's Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee.
I wanted to highlight two stories which illustrates the continuing and growing challenges to our basic freedoms. One is from overseas, the other here in New Zealand.
FINLAND
The first relates to Finnish MP and former government minister, Päivi Räsänen. I recently interviewed her on Reality Check Radio (RCR) as part of my weekly radio show. You can listen to our interview here – it is simply extraordinary what she is going through. Put succinctly, the court cases against her have been motivated specifically to undermine free speech and freedom of religion. While this is happening in Finland, it is something progressive and far-left activists would love to see here in New Zealand.
I keep referring to her situation as extraordinary. I don’t use this word because the circumstances are simply unusual (sadly, the dynamics in play in her cases are becoming all to common in Western democracies), but, rather, what she is experiencing is as incredible as it is ridiculous.
Several years ago she tweeted a Bible verse at her local church leadership, the latter who had decided to take part in a pride parade. She questioned this decision in light of long-standing Christian teaching around marriage, relationships, and family. Soon afterwards, police arrived at her door and she was charged with ‘hate speech’ because quoting the Bible might offend some minorities. She has been charged under Finland’s criminal law, specifically “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. As I write, she has had two court cases dismissed however, Finnish prosecutors are desperate to have her convicted so as to set a chilling precedent when it comes to anyone quoting the Bible (or any other text that might offend a minority). She is now awaiting a third trial, this time in Finland’s Supreme Court. This is an outright attack on freedom of speech and freedom of belief/religion. As I noted, the Finnish authorities are beyond desperate to have her found guilty so that nobody will question progressivism’s current dogma – or rather, you will pay a criminally high price for doing so.
Let’s be clear – one does not have to believe in Christian teaching to be deeply concerned by what is happening in Finland.
In fact, some readers may feel that Christian teaching on many issues is barking mad. However, most people with any sense of fundamental rights can see that this court action is a gross overstep and dangerous. When there is disagreement between people and groups, it is best solved by discussion and debate – not by having one’s opponent arrested and charged with war crimes simply for offending your point of view.
I encourage you to listen to my interview with Päivi. She speaks clearly and eloquently about what she is experience, and I am pleased to have been able to provide New Zealanders an opportunity to hear her story.
NEW ZEALAND
Locally, we have an outrageous situation where New Zealand Police commanders have decided to create a ‘law’ themselves – in this case a hate speech law. As we all know, there is no specific hate speech legislation in New Zealand; in fact, attempts by the previous government and the Law Commission to progress such ideas have been stopped. Yet progressives and those on the far left are desperate for such a law to silence views and opinions which do not agree with theirs.
The New Zealand Police it seems are more than happy to indulge these activists by initiating training and a system to record supposed hate speech infringements in New Zealand.
You have read that right – New Zealand Police are recording what they deem to be hate speech infringements despite there being no such law.
This is constitutionally outrageous. Parliament alone makes the laws of this country and the police, when appropriate, enforce those laws. Instead, as we have recently found out, the New Zealand Police have now decided that they can just arbitrarily create laws themselves.
Examples of ‘hate speech’ from police’s own leaked training materials.
Police commanders argue that they are implementing one of the changes recommended by the Royal Commission into the mosque shootings in Canterbury. This is no argument at all. It is up to the parliament of the day to implement (or not) any recommendations. Not police. Not on this issue; not on any issue; ever. Tragic though the mosque shootings were, and despite the desire of some, it is not an excuse to override the basic freedoms and rights of New Zealanders.
As I write, police are being trained to identify and log instances of hate speech into their so called ‘hate hub’. As you would expect, the definitions police use fall within the usual far left, woke, and progressive ideas of offensive speech. Even today you could be added into this police database simply because someone else believes you have hurt their feelings. As we already know, progressive activists are always keen to weaponise processes and systems to support their attempts to cancel, deplatform, and harass those they disagree with. These same progressive activists must be delighted that the New Zealand Police are now aiding them by creating a list of ‘thought and speech offenders’.
You might ask what are some examples of ‘hate speech’ according to the police’s own training documents? These include ironically, suggesting free speech is a good thing; suggesting that there are only two biological sexes or not conforming to recent, and often radical, views on the Treaty of Waitangi. There is no working definition of ‘hate’, nor will you know if you have been accused of this ‘crime’. You can be put into this new system for committing a crime that does not even exist. It is a direct attack on freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, privacy, and democratic principles.
Fundamentally though, and as I noted at the beginning, this is an outrageous and gross constitutional overreach by police. This cannot be over-emphasised. Police do not make the laws. They must stop all activity in this space immediately and delete all the data that they have illegally collected.
If you have not done so already, head over to the Free Speech Union’s website and social media and sign their petition; write to your local Member of Parliament; write to the Minister of Justice and Prime Minister.
This article was originally published on the author’s Substack.
