After The BFD broke the story of the armed police raid on BFD writer and Right Minds Editor Dieuwe’s family home, he very sensibly turned off his phone and refused to speak to the Legacy media. The Legacy media were forced to base their many articles about the raid on The BFD‘s article, with the main difference being their spin on the facts of the story. Headline after headline smeared Dieuwe as a “far-right” activist.
Once the dust had settled, Dieuwe contacted me and told me that he was ready to be interviewed so I canvassed our readers and our contributors for the questions that they would like answered.
1. Why do you think it is that the Legacy media seem so determined to categorise you as a far-right activist?
They need enemies and they know what sells ads. They have an ideology (dare I say, “far-left activist” ideology) to push, but there is also the simple economic issue that the demand for white supremacy outweighs the supply, so they try to manufacture more of it. In their echo chambers, anyone who rejects Marxism and postmodernism is fair game for the “far-right” label.
2. What do you think their motivation or reasons for slandering you might be?
It’s a tactic that they’ve seen their counterparts use successfully overseas to destroy people, and to an extent, it’s worked here. The media’s treatment of my late friend Jesse, who organised the protests against the UN Migration Compact, led to the conditions of his suicide. Other than Stephen Berry from ACT and Elliot Ikilei from New Conservative, I am the only other original vocal opponent to that Pact still standing.
3. Some people have tried to link you to Tarrant. How do you feel about that smear and can you tell me why they’re so wrong?
I’ve written a number of rebuttals to smear pieces that go back to last April. The smear itself hurts, but it is obviously false to anyone who isn’t a far-left activist. If that’s the best they have to fall back on then I don’t need to protest too much. I responded to a Stuff(ed) article in April Radicalised by the Media, I’ve responded to (Fake) Newshub’s similar setup attempt in May When Journalism Dies, Only Activism Remains, I’ve defended my late friend Jesse from a smear piece in early March The Truth About The Resurgence of New Zealand Nationalism, and also against the deranged ramblings of our good friends from Peace Action Have I Been Outed as the Leader of Auckland Antifa? the year prior.
4. Are you going to challenge or sue RNZ for describing you as a “far-right” activist?
I’m considering my options, but there are a few things holding me back. The first is that defamation cases are often a game of who runs out of money first, and the second is that I’d have to admit Red Radio has the ability to damage my reputation (that in itself would put my reputation on shaky ground and subject to the whims of the media). A friend of mine describes the Legacy media as a shark dying on a beach. The water is safe to swim in. The shark will die if you wait patiently. Yet if you venture too close, it will thrash around and bite you. Of course, I do reserve the right to sue them into the abyss, but right now I have bigger fish to fry.
5. What advice can you provide for others that find themselves in a similar position in the future such as being prepared with information about search warrants, procedures, rights, etc?
I’d recommend having a copy of COLFO’s Search & Seizure resource printed out and stuck somewhere and you look at it regularly. You also don’t have to say anything at all to the police (as my friends will be able to attest, I do find it hard to keep my mouth shut), but I refused to talk about anything I deemed none of their business. The lawyers will always tell you to keep completely quiet though, and that’s probably for the best.
6. You have a copy of the warrant. Do you believe that the police exceeded the scope or terms of the warrant during the search?
You’d have to ask a lawyer. They searched every nook and cranny of the property, probably looking to get lucky. I was told it’s standard procedure to search thoroughly.
7. If a criminal breaks into your home in the future would you still trust the police enough to call them or would you be concerned that you would risk getting labelled again?
Yes, but burglaries have around a 10% resolution rate, so I wouldn’t expect much. What the media and Police HQ think of me doesn’t really impact the way I view the frontline officers.
8. How soon after the raid had started did you ring your lawyer?
It was probably at least 15 minutes in, but my lawyer of choice was on holiday. I asked for one of the on-call lawyers who, after I explained the situation, told me I had nothing to worry about, but just to make no further statements to the police and let them finish the search.
9. If you had not been present at the time of the raid what should your partner have done? I understand she was in bed feeling poorly feeding your newborn.
I realised the next day that I had been planning to be home about 10 minutes after the raid started, but the main reason I was home earlier was due to her being ill. I suppose they would just have busted the front door down, but you’d have to ask a cop for the procedure.
10. Do you believe the police claim that the information that they based their warrant on did not come from your submission? Please explain your rationale.
I can’t really comment on this. We shall have to wait and see what the official documentation has to say once we get them to cough it up. I haven’t been able to find any instances of public statements I made about that rifle outside of the context of the legislation early last year. Of course, it’s the only aspect of this ordeal that they’ve openly denied – so I am as curious to see their rationale as you are.
11. Apart from the fact that approximately 12 armed police officers seem like extreme overkill for a .22 bunny gun do you feel that the police handled the raid professionally, calmly and reasonably given the circumstances?
Yes, the officers were professional, calm, and reasonable. I don’t have any negative feelings toward them, but I am looking forward to finding out how they were briefed and who signed off on this.
12. What comments did the police make about your FAL and other firearms in your possession?
I wasn’t asked for my FAL or any ID, but after they left, I found my FAL next to my wallet. At least one of the cops was a LFAO who had to hand in a bunch of firearms during the “buy-back” and we chatted a bit about our shotgun hobbies while I was detained.
13. Do you hold a B Cat endorsement, and have there been moves to remove it?
No, getting some endorsements has been on my to-do list, but my life is pretty busy right now and I don’t have the opportunity to get the training. Maybe when the kids are a bit older. Cowboy Action Shooting is my area of interest (no surprises for anyone there, I think). Besides, CAS is probably the last thing they’ll end up banning after they get around to the umpteenth tranche of anti-gun legislation.
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