What’s to be done about refugees who come to New Zealand to escape totalitarian regimes and then cheer for the same totalitarian style of govt here? Should they be required to undergo cultural courses that impress upon them the need to support the traditions that underpin the foundations of our free society? Such as free speech, or more precisely, freedom of political expression?

Take Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman for an example. Granted refuge from a totalitarian regime in her country of birth (Iran), she appears to have little idea of what is dear to third or fourth of fifth generation New Zealanders. Like many she uses muddy phrases like “hate speech” and “white supremacy” to attack views she does not approve of, apparently completely unaware of how she is emulating the regime she fled in Iran.

These phrases cannot be defined objectively. On the contrary they are entirely subjective euphemisms that should not form the basis of any conviction or action against anyone in a civilised rule of law country that values free speech.

Ms Ghaharaman is especially piqued that YouTube is allowing views to be broadcast in New Zealand that she disagrees with. She is demanding of the company that they establish a regional censorship division to police what is seen and cancel videos as per her requirements. Here is what she wrote re her planned visit to YouTube to present her case-

I’m about to meet with Google’s head of Public Policy to talk privacy and security. We don’t think of Google enough in this space. But it owns YouTube, has aggressive algorithms that contribute to extremism and spread of disinformation- with far worse moderation than social media.

Google/YouTube have no local moderation for Aotearoa so totally miss the context of hate and extremism aimed at our marginalised communities, in particular Maori. I’ll be calling on them to change this urgently.

YouTube has far worse mechanisms to enforce user bans than Twitter and FB (!!). When someone is banned from YouTube, we expect YouTube to keep them banned–not allow them to create new accounts and continue their hate.

Unbelievably (for anyone who’s familiar with social media abuse reporting) right now YouTube’s process from reporting to removal is far too long is also way longer. We want to see that speeded up to keep our communities safe.

Finally, we need data! Flow many NZ white supremacist accounts are removed monthly? Average time from report to removal? How many reports of this type of content were received? What is the process for acting on reports, and do they invite local expertise in these decisions?

One wonders what else Ms Ghahraman is saying to YouTube. Does she have a list of accounts she wants banned? Will she mention her own emotive prejudices against the democracy of Israel, which could easily qualify as “hate speech” under definitions currently being proposed?

As an MP, her meetings with the company should be minuted and subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. However it should go further than that.

These people from the extreme left of the political spectrum are making hay from the current obsession with cancel culture. Its got so crazy we are seeing people who were apprehended as part of Police operations against the Urewera terrorists, a group undergoing arms and bomb making training in the wilds of the Urewera ranges, actively working with universities and even the SIS to uncover perceived “right wing” threats.

Even worse, these people have amalgamated with NZ’s Antifa, and are working with mainstream media journalists and prominent academics to “identify hate speech and white supremacy”. All this without a modicum of push back from opposition politicians who, if they were doing their job, should be working to limit this ridiculous but dangerous totalitarian nonsense.

In the video, Ms Ghahraman laments that Twitter is no longer” a nice little lefty political bubble”

National or ACT party politicians should be called upon to accompany Ms Golriz on her visit to Youtube, or if this is not possible, then they should follow through with their own visit to counter the obvious one sided subjective and extreme left position Youtube will hear from Ms Ghahraman.

At the very least they should write to her and ask what she said and what information she delivered. She is a Member of Parliament, and as such she should be subject to parliamentary procedures covering such issues.

David Seymour, who once described Ms Ghahraman as a “menace to freedom in this country” says he leads the Free Speech Party. Judith Collins says she’s ready to fight the culture war. Admirable sentiments from both MPs.

So get to it guys. Don’t let these odious totalitiarian ideas be floated unopposed in NZ. Our forefathers fought in numerous world wars to preserve our freedoms. Many of them died on the battlefields. All you need to do today is ask a few questions in parliament. So get to it. Please.