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Summarised by Centrist
A New Zealand woman says police contacted her family and called her into a station after complaints about a Facebook post referring to Auckland as “New India”.
According to reports, Renee-Rose Schwenke posted a photo featuring two men of Indian appearance in the background, captioned: “Welcome to New India thanks to Luxsingh,” a reference to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the New Zealand-India FTA.
Schwenke says police told her the post was “unkind,” “racist” and “unwelcoming to the Indian community,” despite it not containing threats or calls for violence.
Schwenke later shared a recording of a police officer calling her mother and saying officers planned to visit over “posts that she’s been putting online that people have taken not that great”.
Schwenke also claims she receives regular abuse and death threats for her views, but says she was treated as the problem after others complained.
The controversy comes amid wider debate over immigration, social cohesion and the India FTA. Critics of the agreement have raised concerns about migration, digital payments and sovereignty, while supporters argue the deal will boost trade and deepen ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Editor’s note: Schwenke’s post may be offensive. Police involvement may still be troubling.
“Welcome to New India” appears designed to make a demographic and immigration point. Many readers, especially Indian New Zealanders, may reasonably see it as insulting or hostile. It uses a visible ethnic group as a symbol of political grievance.
But that does not automatically make it a police matter.
Offensive, unkind or racially charged speech is not the same as threats, incitement or harassment. On the facts as presented, the police appear to have intervened over speech that may be offensive, but is not obviously unlawful.
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