Racial harmony rally draws mayors and politicians

By ANNE BESTON

A new wave of bigotry and hatred is stalking the land and those who stand for diversity and tolerance must band together to fight it, a rally in Wellington was told yesterday.

Around 200 people gathered in Parliament's grounds for the "racial harmony" rally, organised by Wellington author James McNeish and his wife, Helen, after the desecration of Jewish tombstones at two Wellington cemeteries in the past month.

Speakers, including mayors, politicians and church leaders, linked the Destiny Church march on Parliament the day before to a new atmosphere of intolerance.

Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter said that march fanned the flames of "hatred and bigotry" and yesterday's gathering was a show of support for the Jewish community.

About 5000 members of Destiny Church marched in the capital on Monday to oppose the Civil Union Bill, which would allow couples, including gays, to contract into a legal union.

Dunedin Mayor Sukhi Turner said the racial harmony rally was a way to "smother the negativity of people who feed on the darker side of human nature".

"The vast majority of our citizens know that the hatred and intolerance that has bubbled to the surface in the last few weeks is not on," she said.

Former Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves said the belief that New Zealand was a tolerant society which judged a person on his or her merits was "dangerous talk".

"The truth is, there has always been much more to say about us," he said.

"Unless we are rigorous, the forces and attitudes that produced such vile actions [as the cemetery attacks] will only get stronger."

McNeish said he organised the rally and open forum that followed after hearing of the cemetery attacks.

The 100-or-so people at the forum, held in the banquet hall of the Beehive, put forward ideas to combat racism including educating schoolchildren about the Holocaust and having a written New Zealand constitution.