Race Relations Commissioner Dr Melissa Derby has condemned “hateful and brazen” graffiti which was found in Wellington this morning.
The vandalism, allegedly found near the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, read: “I hated **** before it was cool!”
Derby described the act as “shocking, confronting, and an alarming normalisation of anti-Semitism that everyone in New Zealand must stand against”.
“We must not allow anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of hateful bigotry to flourish in our country.”
Reacting to the graffiti, the Human Rights Commission said “everyone has the right to be free from discrimination”.
“Treating others with respect is at the heart of our values, which makes Aotearoa New Zealand such a special place to live. So Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission was alarmed to learn of a wall defaced with antisemitic graffiti overnight, near to the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.”
The Holocaust Centre posted the graffiti to Facebook, noting it was a “stone’s throw” from their Wellington building.
“This isn’t some edgy joke; it’s a chilling declaration of a hatred that has festered for centuries, fuelled the Holocaust, and continues to endanger Jewish lives today, even here in Aotearoa New Zealand,” the post read.
“As our chair, Deborah Hart, notes, this ‘cool to hate Jews’ mentality, often masked as criticism of Israel, is a painful reality.
“This is raw anti-Semitism, not political discourse. We stand firm against this hate.
“Join us. Challenge anti-Semitism and all forms of hate wherever you see it. Speak out.”
