Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick has defended use of violent language in a poster promoting an event in her name this weekend.
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Just over three minutes into the interview Ms Swarbrick laughs off suggestions that using the term “bash back” has violent connotations, saying that it would be “just a little dance”.
At the start of the interview, Ms Swarbrick says it was up to all of society to stamp out “hateful rhetoric that could so easily lead to real world violence”.
Women’s Rights Party Co-leader Jill Ovens says the statement seems to be hypocritical given the poster features a muscly male slamming a sledgehammer with such force that rocks fly off. The words “These Queers bash back” have since been removed from versions now circulating on social media.
“Women and children living in violent homes often use the term ‘getting the bash’ to describe vicious assaults on them. Who can forget the scene where Jake threw Beth across the room in front of his mates in the movie Once Were Warriors?” Ms Ovens says.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that violence occurs in too many New Zealand homes.”
Ms Ovens says she will not be attending the rally and has advised members to stay well away.
“Our issue is not with the LGB community, but with the polarising tactics of both the Destiny Church and, in this case, the Greens that distract us from the real issues faced by women and children in our society, including women and girls in the lesbian community.”
The Women’s Rights Party also says there will be many older gay men who will be very unhappy with the words “queer” and “bash” appearing together. “Queer bashing” was a very dark part of their history, which is why many refer to themselves as “gay” and never as “queer”.
Revised version sent out by Auckland Women’s Centre
