Michael Laws commenting on Facebook after a woman pled guilty to assaulting and insulting a muslim member of the elite. I don’t link to Facebook: I rescue comments from it.
I actually feel sympathy: her media gang banging and public humiliation are clearly gratuitous. She is obviously a deeply troubled woman who, realistically, harmed no-one. Encountered far worse on manifest occasions as a mayor … I actually think, for once, that the reconciliation process will be very useful.
Of course, this cannot stand. The narrative must have its victims. Again, from facebook.
Received these questions from Melissa Nightingale of the NZ Herald
“Well when you say you suspect she has mental health issues, a lot of people are commenting that they don’t believe that, and that she’s just a racist whose inhibitions are gone because she’s drunk, what do you think of that? And you say she’s harmed no one, but is it not harmful to assault and verbally attack strangers? What kind of help do you think she needs? Anything else you’d like to add?”
MY REPLY –
“I think the media who are hounding her are bullies. I think the victim is a media professional who has skilfully exploited the drunken ravings of a clearly disturbed woman to make a political point. I have received contact from her family & she needs help & if the media had an ounce of compassion then the ‘no fixed abode’ status relayed in court would suggest a range of issues. The so called victim & the media should try & get the unfortunate woman the help she needs instead of exploiting her for entertainment and activist purposes.”
The media are continuing to say that this is Islamophobia. The risk that Laws faces (and I’ve had worse done to me because I’m white and Christian and have kids) is that it will be seen as a mental illness. The woman involved knows what she is doing. There is a cost to standing out. She has paid it in part.
Me? I stand with my Samoan brothers in Christ.
UPDATE. The usual suspects want hate crime legislation. The government is doing the correct thing, ignoring this.
Police are looking into whether hate-crime legislation should be created in New Zealand, following an alleged racial attack in Huntly.
However, the Government says it sees no need for new laws, despite Police Commissioner Mike Bush’s discussions with the Human Rights Commission about whether specific hate-crime offences are necessary.
Video footage of a woman’s racist rant toward a group of Muslim women outside public toilets in Huntly last weekend sparked a nationwide outcry and calls for action on reducing similar attacks.
…
However, the Government was quick to downplay the idea of a hate crime law, with Justice Minister Amy Adams saying the proposal was “not something I’m aware of”.“My take on it is we have a very low level of that sort of behaviour in New Zealand, and when it does come up I haven’t seen any indication that our offence framework fails to deal with it.
“If he [Bush] feels that there’s a different case to be made, then I’d encourage him to talk to me.”
Police Minister Paula Bennett agreed, saying Kiwis were “more tolerant in many respects than we used to be of differences”.
“Let’s be careful not to take a few individuals that have actually been called out and held to account for some pretty awful behaviour that is unacceptable…and then put that out to the rest of the population.”