Comments by one-time Dominion editor Karl du Fresne
Who represents the greater threat to democracy right now — Action Zealandia or the Dominion Post?
I see Stuff’s feverish witch-hunt for malignant local government election candidates has claimed a victim.
The Dominion Post reports Saturday that Jordan Milburn, a candidate for Upper Hutt City Council, has quit his job at the Civil Aviation Authority “after allegations he had ties with neo-Nazi group Action Zealandia”.
Who made these allegations? According to the Dominion Post, a group calling itself Paparoa. And who is Paparoa? Good question. The paper doesn’t bother to tell us.
I found what appeared to be Paparoa’s website and it offers no clue whatsoever to the identities of the people behind it. Neither does a link to it from a UK-based website called Hope Not Hate.
All the Paparoa website reveals is that it “researches the far right in Aotearoa and works with journalists, academics and activists to counteract their hate”. No names, just an email address. A “spokesperson” for Paparoa was quoted in an earlier Dominion Post story but not identified.
So on the basis of “allegations” by this anonymous group – a group every bit as shadowy and conspiracy-obsessed as any on the far-Right, judging by its website – the Dominion Post “outed” Milburn last week. And now it reports that he’s lost his job, the clear implication being that he was forced to quit — or the CAA felt pressured to get rid of him — because of what the Dominion Post revealed.
Is this what we’ve come to? A once-reputable newspaper hounding citizens on the basis of accusations by conspiracy theorists whom we’re supposed to regard as credible even though the paper doesn’t identify them?
What makes it even worse is the note of satisfaction in today’s Dominion Post story about Milburn losing his job. I’m surprised the headline didn’t read “Gotcha!”
The Dominion Post apparently sees no contradiction in describing Action Zealandia as a “secretive ethno-nationalist group” — whatever that may mean — while simultaneously giving credence to unsubstantiated claims by a group that’s just as furtive.
This newspaper, like all of Ms Boucher’s Stuff, has become an organ of the Far Left. —Eds
The only answer is:
“Sue, sue, sue.” Well that is if the allegation cannot be proved in a court of law. We still have those, don’t we?
Yes, and those defending can even choose trial by Jury, but if they lose like stockbroker Chris Lee did in 2010 it will be a big bill. In his case he could easily afford it.
Paparoa includes Peter Hall-Jones and Sam Buchanan.
Look them up on Keywiki.
Litigating at court costs a huge amount and from my efforts to find a lawyer, regarding the lying antics of Janet Holborow some years ago, even getting someone who knows defamation law is difficult. What happened to the basic right of employment regardelss of one’s politics?
Kapiti has the ‘chance’ to elect one of Sam Buchanan’s old comrades, Asher Wilson-Goldman. It was Mr Goldman who last year fancifully stated that Dale Evans and myself led a ‘far right’ (sic) group into Kapiti council, during The Gateway debate, and ‘abused Maori children’, presumably in yet another effort (there’s been a few over the years) to incite violence aginst me.
But, the alternative is Penny Gaylor. Yowza!
Ironic that WW endorsed Mr Goldman, given that WW ticks so many of the boxes that Mr Goldman would classify as ‘far right’ and ‘white supremacist’.
We thought the GWRC seat was going to be a hard choice for you, and Asher is civil but frosty towards us. What is more important for Kapiti people, however, is that we have someone who actually does useful things for Kapiti people. Nationwide level politics should not play any part in the local scene — both National and ACT take that view. We could be wrong about Asher, but could we have anyone worse than PG?
Asher Goldman-Wilson ought to come clean about his history working for spying and citizen monitoring organisations that preceded the likes of Paparoa – which I understand he has some involvement with too, along with his old friend Sam, as mentioned by the distinguished Mr Bolton above.
He is not adverse to playing dirty, by the way. A friend of mine was one of the Palestinian activists who found themselves subject to a smear campaign – run out of 128 Abel Smith street, where I was myself once a resident Anarchist – while Mr Goldman was involved with said groups, tasked with protecting his community. As in Israel, the same sense of propriety and care simply does not apply to those who have conflicting views on geopolitics and power.
I hope Mr Goldman has put the dark arts aside in respect of your local politics and plays fairer these days.
Salam.
Presumably then Asher has no time for the Greens after they called for the destruction of Israel?
It was years ago when he smeared the Palestinian activist but it was wrong and cynical.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s older, mellowed to some extent.
It was a sexual smear.
Mr Goldman is officially “endorsed” by the Green Party. See :
https://vote.greens.org.nz/?gclid=CjwKCAjwvsqZBhAlEiwAqAHElTHKgDgk_yv6PUWPs-k-tcsp5oahR4Lvi1Z4z6XJnwd3k5d6A2vgNRoCM0kQAvD_BwE
@Bolton
Everything with the Greens is a pose.
Mr Goldman seems not to have mellowed to the extent of still being a smear-mongering liar, who gutlessly sought – just last year – to incite violence against myself and an elderly invalid, with the two stupid Maori Party MPs jumping aboard.
It was time time of the great Workers Party split into Fightback! and Socialist Aotearoa.
It was ostensibly a split over the direction of Indymedia, between two of its then editors, including Goldman.
Palestine was the true issue of contention.
Fightback! Arguably became a front group for Mr Goldman and his circle’s trans-Tasman activities. SA was shady from its inception, too.
We should take these apparent ructions without a grain of salt and a heavy dose of cynicism. But the animus in this case was very real.
The evidence for the smear campaign can still be discovered, although it was put to bed on the open net. It was exceedingly nasty, with Goldman claiming that the victim was a rapist in coordinated, sequential blog posts by members of Goldman’s circle, like the Handmirror. The online gaslighting was complimented by harassment through “safe space” meetings at 128 Abel Smith. The victim was sent in paroxysms of rage, which was presumably the whole point, with him coming off as a psycho and Goldman coming off as the cool, calm, collected “feminist” one.
I was a little in awe of how well it played out. The consequence was that the pro-Palestinian faction of Indymedia and the radical left was sidelined and co-opted.
Moral of the story is:
Don’t get involved in Middle East-related issues without being cognisant of the sort of crap might come your way. They take notes.
Question is, is Goldman taking notes on opposing candidates? Seems he may very well be.
Goldman and his cohort have institutionalised their tactics, which now play out across mainstream media and in politics.
Yeah, nah. Let me revoke that benefit-of-the-doubt.
It’s surprising that the Greens haven’t endorsed one of their own members – Jordon Wansbrough in the Waikanae ward. The most important thing for Waikanae people that the Regional Council can do is get commuter trains north of Waikanae, something the Greens want. Penny Gaylor is a waste of space.
Maybe Goldman is tied up with Green Party donors or enablers in some way.
Like those American blokes up Whitman’s Valley.
Goldman has always acted to hidden agendas.
None of the above surprises me. Thank you for informing me as a voter. I didn’t know about the extent of it.
A good backgrounder required, WW?