When apologies and silence replace inquiries and dissent

We Kiwis are an exceptional bunch, aren't we? Unlike Australia, our flora and fauna is largely incapable of killing us, our pronunciation (while admittedly lazy) lacks that harsh ocker twang. And, of course, let's not forget we're modest to a fault.

Every nation has its enduring national myths. We tell ourselves stories in part to strut and crow, in part to allay our anxieties. The stories we choose to elevate and emphasise say more about a human propensity for selection bias than anything uniquely antipodean.

This tendency relates to an apology that was made last week at Parliament. Stephen Rainbow, this country's Human Rights Commissioner, apologised to FIANZ, a Muslim association, for suggesting that Jewish New Zealanders are more likely faced with significant threats from violent extremists within the NZ Muslim community than elsewhere. His "dangerous" comments came from his interpretation of a national security report by the NZSIS. 

I'm not for a minute going to suggest I know what the SIS knows. Their intentionally vague annual report, they argue, must remain so if they are to preserve their operational efficacy when gathering intelligence. That may be necessary. The problem is that the report does not exactly offer us much to go on here.

Nor am I of the view - let me be abundantly clear - that violent neo-Nazi types pose no threat to Muslims. The 2019 Christchurch massacre ought to be reason alone for believing extreme anti-Muslim violence can happen in this nation. It obviously can because it clearly did, and we ought to do everything within our power as a liberal democracy to stop such evil in the future.

The key question that outraged-commentators appear to be ignoring here though is: are white neo-Nazi types the most significant threat in NZ? 

The New Lynn supermarket attack had an Islamist motivation. So, too, the foiled North Shore plot which followed it, involving a homegrown radicalised Kiwi teen inspired by online ISIS propaganda. 

Yes, like Norway and the murderous rampage of Anders Brevik, NZ has faced the unimaginable horror of violent white extremist terror. But that isn't the only threat we should be worried about. Violent Islamist terror threats overwhelmingly predominate fellow liberal democracies. 

Which murderous ideologue should we focus on? Clearly, this isn't an either/or problem.

In the UK, from 2018 to 2023 violent Islamists accounted for approximately 67% of all terror plots dealt with by MI5. In particular, Jews in the UK are more than 11 times more likely to be targeted criminally because of their identity compared with Muslims. 

Too far away to be a fair comparison? Try Australia then, where the stats draw a disturbingly similar picture to the Brits'. In fact, I challenge anyone to find a terror threat assessment which contradicts this trend anywhere in the West.

When we get to NZ though? Well, apparently we're the exception. Why? Just because. 

Engage in all the wishful thinking we want.  

I’m not a security expert, and the Free Speech Union is interested solely in that: free speech. But this is exactly the sort of situation free speech helps us avoid; contexts where approved narratives dominate and where uncomfortable realities are swept under the carpet.

What free speech allows us to do is challenge the status-quo, ask the uncomfortable question, and make the heretical claim that so many, silently, agree with. Mr Rainbow has every right to say sorry if he so wishes. But equally, our public discourse, respect for institutions, and trust in their credibility are not well served if he is simply saying sorry because he made a claim (whether correct or not) that others disagreed with.

If you believe Mr Rainbow's critics, NZ is vulnerable to every other international trend in the West - except violent Islamists. This may or may not be true, but imposing silence and suppressing anyone who disagrees isn’t what would make it true. On the other hand, you must accept without reservation highly emotive claims regarding The Patriarchy, Colonisation, Misogyny, Transphobia, Islamophobia, Incels because these things are happening elsewhere, and therefore they obviously happen here, too.

Believe it. Repeat it. Your role as an official depends on it. 

As for the evidence? 

Well, in the world we now live in, feelings don't care about facts. We're exceptional and that's all there is to it. Please keep any questions you have that might challenge this to yourself.