The story that never appeared

Liam Hehir writes:

Ponder the fact that there won’t be a story like this and wonder about why that is. It is genuinely weird, right?

Te Pāti Māori’s Crossed Guns Post Incites Online Controversy AUCKLAND – Te Pāti Māori has become embroiled in an online controversy following a social media post featuring an image of crossed guns.

The contentious post comes as the party gears up for the Nationwide Action Day, set to coincide with the opening of New Zealand’s 54th Parliament. The image, which was posted in the backdrop of the party’s call to resist the election of a National government, has received significant criticism from various corners of social media.

Critics argue that the use of such provocative and violent symbolism could potentially be misconstrued as a call for violence rather than peaceful protest. Social media platforms, including on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook, have been flooded with comments voicing concerns about the meaning and implications of the graphic.

Some users worried that the use of firearms in the image were not consistent with a call to peaceful protest and could incite violence. Despite the ongoing controversy, Te Pāti Māori has yet to release an official statement addressing the concerns raised about the image. The debate continues to rage online, casting a shadow over the party’s preparations for the upcoming Nationwide Action Day.

If any other organisation or party had done posters for a protest march which included firearms on them, the media would have melted down and would have written stories condemning it, with comments from gun safety groups, radicalisation experts etc.

But once again the media have a double standard where TPM can say or do anything without criticism. They can call getting rid of 400 bureaucrats, “deliberate genocide” and they can use firearms on posters for a protest march.

I give credit to Labour’s Peeni Henare for calling them out on their extremism. But it is a reminder of how extreme a left Government would have been if they won in 2023. Instead they are threatening three years of protest because the parties that won the election are actually going to implement the policies they got elected on.