This article needs to be updated. (April 2020) |
The New Zealand National Front was a small white nationalist organisation in New Zealand.
New Zealand National Front | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Colin King-Ansell |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Dissolved | 2019 |
| Membership (2019) |  30[1] |
| Ideology | Ultranationalism White nationalism Anti-Māori sentiment Homophobia Islamophobia Anti-immigration |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Colors | Red, white and blue (New Zealand national colours) |
| Party flag | |
 | |
History
edit
First formation in 1967
editMirroring developments in the UK, a group called the National Front evolved from the New Zealand branch of the League of Empire Loyalists in 1967.[2][3] It was led by Brian Thompson; another notable member was Roger Clare who would later become an activist with the League of St George.[4] It published a magazine called Counter-attack. This group dissolved by the beginning of the 1970s. Thompson remained an overseas supporter of the UK National Front.
Recreation of the late 1970s
edit"All white countries and only white countries are being flooded with hundreds of millions of non-white people... diversity is just a codeword for white genocide"
National Front, promotion[5]
The National Front of New Zealand, commonly known as the "New Zealand National Front" (NZNF), was an initiative of John Tyndall of the British National Front formed in 1977. Sister organisations were also formed in Australia and South Africa at the same time.
The party's first chairman was David Crawford, aided by Brian Thompson. Kerry Bolton joined in 1978. It distributed "large numbers of Holocaust denial pamphlets and books".[6] Thompson represented the party at the march in Lewisham in 1977.[7] The party encouraged its activists to infiltrate mainstream parties such as the National Party.[8] From June 1978 the party jointly published a magazine called Frontline with the National Front of Australia. After the end of the Australian group in 1984, the magazine continued until March 1987 in support of a more general non-party "nationalist cause".
The organisation became close to ending during the early 1980s; many of its members left to form the 'New Force' which Bolton formed in 1981.
Later activity
editIn 1989 Anton Foljambe sought to revive the Frontline title for his "Conservative Front" grouping. This led to the reformation of the NZNF with Foljambe as leader. It published a magazine, edited by Foljambe, called Viewpoint. Foljambe resigned as leader in 1997 and established the rival National Democrats Party in 1999. Kyle Chapman, who said he had been interested in right-wing politics since the age of 12,[9] then led the party until he resigned as leader in 2005. Bolton rejoined the party in 2004. From 2008, Colin Ansell led the group. Ansell stated that the group was to be a "broad spectrum nationalist movement" with a "strong view on immigration".[10]
On 23 October 2004, the National Front held a protest in Wellington to support retaining the current New Zealand flag, which was attended by an estimated 45 people.[11] An 800-strong counter-demonstration was organised by the MultiCultural Aotearoa coalition and anarchists to expose the sympathies of the National Front.[12] According to The New Zealand Herald, Chapman complained the following day of "insufficient police protection".[13] This "Flag Day Rally" has now become an annual event, with NF members and protesters squaring off outside parliament.
In October 2017, a handful of National Front members protested outside Parliament. They were met by "a sea" of counter-protesters. Fights came close to breaking out and police attended the event.[14]
After the Christchurch mosque shootings of 2019, the National Front like other far-right groups "publicly shut up shop"[15] and largely went underground.[16] An RNZ documentary of April 2019 described them as "the old guard of the far-right" in comparison to new movements with more sophisticated networks and use of technology.[17]
As a political party
edit
The National Front has described itself as a political party, in 2010.[18] Leader Kyle Chapman contested the 2004 Christchurch mayoral election, receiving 1,665 votes (1.9%) and coming fifth out of ten candidates. In a blog post, then-former-leader Kyle Chapman declared the National Front would be joining with the National Democrats and another international organisation, the 'New Right' to contest the 2008 election under the name "Nationalist Alliance".[19] This did not occur; no candidates contested the 2008 election under that name.[20]
Policies
editAccording to Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, the discernible policies of the National Front are "homophobia, racism and patriotic nationalism."[18]
Leaders
edit| Name | Start year | End year | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay Hopper | 1968 | 1977 | 9 years |
| David Crawford | 1977 | 1989 | 12 years |
| Anton Foljambe | 1989 | 1997 | 8 years |
| Kyle Chapman | 1997 | 2005 | 8 years |
| Colin Ansell | 2008 | 2019? |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Allchorn, William (2021). From Gangs to Groupuscules and Solo-Actor Terrorism: New Zealand Radical Right Narratives and Counter-Narratives In The Context of the Christchurch Attack (PDF) (Report). Hedayah and Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. p. 16, 18.
- ^ "New Political Group Formed". The Press. 30 January 1968. p. 26. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Spoonley, Paul The Politics of Nostalgia: racism and the extreme right in New Zealand The Dunmore Press (1987) p157 ISBN 9780864690630
- ^ Spoonley, Paul The Politics of Nostalgia: racism and the extreme right in New Zealand The Dunmore Press (1987) pp157-158
- ^ RNZ The Detail - Investigating the alt-right https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018692392/the-detail-investigating-the-alt-right
- ^ Joel Stuart Hayward Holocaust Revisionism in New Zealand: The 'Thinking-man’s Anti-Semitism? Without Prejudice, No 4 December 1991, pp.38–49
- ^ Spoonley, Paul The Politics of Nostalgia: racism and the extreme right in New Zealand The Dunmore Press (1987) p176
- ^ Spoonley, Paul The Politics of Nostalgia: racism and the extreme right in New Zealand The Dunmore Press (1987) p160
- ^ Saleam, Jim (28 February 2005). "Interview With Kyle Chapman, Director, New Zealand National Front". ausfirst.alphalink.com.au. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Neems, Jeff (6 May 2009). "Former leader's move may irk National Front". Waikato Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Two groups poles apart to rally at Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 23 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Three arrests, police officer hurt after National Front march". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 23 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Hate speech laws could ban us, says National Front leader". The New Zealand Herald. Newstalk ZB. 24 October 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Nightingale, Melissa (28 October 2017). "Clashes outside parliament as protesters face National Front". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ Daalder, Mike (10 August 2019). "White supremacists still active in New Zealand". Newsroom. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Brettkelly, Sharon (29 April 2019). "Alt-right: underground - for now". Newsroom. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Getting inside the evolving alt-right". RNZ. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ a b "National Front – Gangs – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "New Projects". Kyle Chapman blog. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "2008 GENERAL ELECTION - OFFICIAL RESULT". electionresults.govt.nz. Retrieved 30 April 2020.