At the recent Love Aotearoa Hate Racism (LAHR) rally held in solidarity with the Muslim community, following the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch, chair of Masjid e Umar in Mount Roskill, Mr Bhamji, made unfounded and dangerous hate remarks, to the effect that “Mossad” and “Zionist businesses” funded the terrorist who carried out the attack on the two mosques.
This provocative and baseless claim is deeply distressing and of concern to the Jewish community and the Zionist Federation of New Zealand.
Not only do these accusations have no substance to them, but they are based on hatred and risk inciting physical harm to the New Zealand Israeli ex-pat and Jewish community.
The remarks use the same analogies and accusations as many antisemitic tropes and are therefore extremely worrying and offensive.
It is also disappointing that the leaders of the LAHR have so far refused to condemn and distance themselves from this hate speech. Hate speech has no place in New Zealand no matter who it is against.
We hope that Mr Bhamji will publicly apologise for the offense caused and retract his remarks and that LAHR publicly distances themselves from these inflammatory and baseless comments
The Executive Committee of the Zionist Federation of New Zealand
