GUEST BLOG: Louie Encabo – How UN Global Compact hysteria is driving right-wing range in New Zealand

 

The entire country, and the rest of the world, is shocked and disgusted by the terrorist attacks that occurred in Christchurch last week that targeted two mosques. A day before that, Greens co-leader James Shaw was assaulted unprovoked by a member of the public.

The two events had a common denominator – both of the perpetrators were riled by the Government’s signing of the United Nations Global Compact on Migration.

The Compact was a non-binding document adopted by the UN General Assembly last December 19, supported by 152 countries including New Zealand. Our country’s decision to support the resolution was widely targeted by right-wing extremists, but also right-leaning politicians – most notably, the National and New Conservative parties.

Despite explicitly being a non-legally binding document, the two aforementioned parties spread rumours that the Compact would severely restrict New Zealand’s ability to decide its own immigration policies.

There were comments from these political parties saying that our national sovereignty has been compromised, leading to an outrage by many on social media.

Except none of those were true. The UN Compact explicitly makes reference to respecting national sovereignty, and was simply a guiding framework that would help countries work together to protect the welfare of migrants who cross borders.

But that did not stop several of our politicians from making fake news about the UN Compact, most notably from National and New Conservatives. For instance, Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown repeatedly touted that the document would restrict our immigration policies and that we were selling out to the United Nations.

His colleague from Helensville, Chris Penk, also joined him in making similar allegations and even appeared with Brown in a video talking about how the UN Compact would lead to open global borders.

The same lies were being perpetuated by the New Conservative party, who even went as far as organizing several protest rallies around New Zealand to spread this fake news in person. Again, the party also made the false claims that the Compact would weaken our sovereignty – which undoubtedly led to outrage among its followers.

Their deputy leader Elliot Ikilei was active on social media pushing the conspiracy theory that by signing the Global Compact the New Zealand Government was surrendering its sovereignty.

One of the New Conservatives’ Board members, David Moffett, was more brash in his criticisms at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Deputy PM Winston Peters on Twitter. He called both “traitors”, and even made a veiled threat by saying: “we are coming to get you” – whatever he meant by that.

Many Facebook users on the group pages populated by these right-wingers were making even more outlandish claims, saying that the United Nations was an “Islamic conspiracy” that was using the UN Compact for a covert takeover of “the West”.

When you such outrageous claims are being made by individuals with a platform, especially if they are seen as authorities in the political sphere, would you be surprised that such anger and hatred emerges?

By no means am I suggesting that either National or New Conservatives caused the assault on James Shaw, and definitely not the heinous terrorist attacks in Christchurch. However, the rhetoric being spouted by those two parties breeds hatred and intolerance – when you peddle the lie that our “sovereignty” is under attack, you cause mass hysteria and drive people to act in irrational ways.

The attacks on James Shaw and the hundreds of peaceful Muslims in Christchurch were done by right-wing extremists who consumed vast amounts of conspiracy theory. We need to stamp out that right-wing conspiracy rhetoric to prevent further violence from happening.

Louie Encabo is a freelance writer who focuses on politics and current events. He runs a blog, writing commentary on both New Zealand and Philippine politics. He is also a paid member of the New Zealand First Party.