If you watched “Web Of Chaos”, which aired on TVNZ last week, you’ll be aware of some of its more outrageous claims which were the catalyst for our latest meme campaign: https://www.kiwi-stasi.co.nz/.

We’ll get to sharing more of our thoughts about that “documentary” but first let’s do a bit of a stock take of what we’ve all been subjected to these past few weeks…

• Of course, we’ve had our Dear Leader delivering her internationally condemned UN speech where she talked about new “weapons of war”: a grave ‘threat’ to humankind which promises to drag us headlong into ‘chaos’ (aka free speech).

• Then the weekend before last we had Justice Minister Kiri Allan smugly announcing new hate speech laws saying that she’ll introduce legislation targeting “hate speech” before the end of the year and that she “…intends to have concluded and put into law by the next election.”

• More recently Jacinda reiterated the need for a focus on disinformation calling for a “bespoke response” at a hui on “Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in New Zealand”.

• Cue our national Security Intelligence Service Director-General Rebecca Kitteridge weighing in to sound a warning on potential terrorists in our midst. Indeed the NZSIS went so far as to produce a glossy publication “Know The Signs” to announce “almost 50 warning signs” – which include a person developing an ‘us versus them’ worldview. “So it could be the COVID measures that the Government took, or it could be other policies that are interpreted as infringing on rights and it’s a kind of what I describe as a hot mess of ideologies and beliefs fuelled by conspiracy theories,” Kitteridge said.

• Following the Hui & SIS announcements TVNZ joined the disinformation discussion last Tuesday treating viewers to a screening of the so called “documentary” Web Of Chaos which Dr Guy Hatchard eloquently describes as “deeply anti-intellectual, anti-religious, against medical choice, and politically biased. Is this just a lone wolf director giving us his opinion? No. It is funded propaganda. As such, it is part of a wide-ranging on-going government campaign to control the New Zealand public narrative.”
• Enter Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa, a Sri Lankan “expert on disinformation,” now a resident of New Zealand, and prominent member of The Disinformation Project (TDP), who has previously labelled VFF “a cancer that is going to undermine democracy” talking over images of serial killers with whom he says we’re now all connected through alternative social media. Dr. Hattotuwa steamed up our TV screens with coverage of his twice daily showering, a cleansing ritual designed to wash away the horror and loneliness of his days scouring the internet for novel and outrageous instances of disinformation.
• Dr. Hattotuwa’s TDP side-kick, Kate Hannah, graced the screens next with elaborate hand gesturing and what has to be some of the most comically bizarre and desperate comments yet. Images rolled of a woman practising yoga, mothers embracing their babies and another baking with her daughter, crafters sharing their knitting, baby goats in knitted sweaters, kittens playing, and young girls running through a field of flowers. To this backdrop Kate described the ways in which these activities were actually a trap to draw women into a white nationalist alternate universe. The lure? Sinister pictures of knitting, healthy food, children’s clothing, and blonde or red-haired girls with braids and flowers on Pinterest and Instagram. Honestly, you have to see it to believe it.
• After this…Paul Hunt, our shameful Human Rights Commissioner had this to say…“One of the most grave human rights problems confronting Aotearoa New Zealand is the tsunami of toxic misinformation and disinformation threatening respectful, evidence-informed, discussion which is the life blood of our democratic society…The documentary Web of Chaos, broadcast this week, confirms the magnitude of the issue, and the personal toll it is taking on brave researchers and other individuals…I am engaging with the Prime Minister, and others, on these issues…Our democracy and human rights are at stake.” That’s right, Paul, our democracy and human rights ARE at stake here – particularly from wilfully blind bureaucrats unable to identify propaganda and manipulation even when they’re bathing in it.

• And let’s not forget Paula Penfold and her Stuff Circuit team with their taxpayer funded “Fire & Fury”. In a recent Media Council response Stuff doubled down on its framing of VFF as “violent ” accusing us of disseminating “violent rhetoric and mis- and disinformation” whilst not actually offering any evidence to substantiate this claim only vague references to ominous sounding reports from acronyms such as the CTAG (apparently the NZSIS’s “Combined Threat Assessment Group”) and DART (the Ministry Of Health’s “Disinformation and Assessment Response Team”).

• Finally, international hoo-ha erupted in response to an article in The Atlantic promoting amnesty for those accountable for the Covid-19 response. Excellent kickback from around the world covered a full spectrum of arguments, landing on the same conclusion – this must never happen again. Some of our favourites have been Charles Eisenstein and Neil Oliver.

Meanwhile, here in NZ, not a whisper of amnesty.

Heck, there’s barely any acknowledgement that lockdowns contributed to the cost of living crises, let alone that masks are a waste of time or that the vaccine injured and killed. Not a peep that mandates were brutal and completely without merit.

No, instead we see a doubling down and a mental contortion like never before, much of it designed to quash the voices of three women and their supporters who dare to state the obvious and ask for answers to questions that beg to be asked.

Disinfo-Terrorist Bingo

We know, all this nonsense can feel overwhelming at times. However, it’s important to remember that we each have an important role to play in changing the current trajectory. Change happens one day and one person at a time and change begins with you.

Here are 5 things you can do right now:

1. Start a courageous conversation: ask simple questions about three waters, climate change policies including the farmer’s emission tax, the death rates, the attacks on free speech. Start with asking: “Isn’t it strange that…” and see where that takes you.
2. Share our memes online: Highlight the absurdity of what’s being said by sharing our memes far and wide.
3. Be a walking billboard: Wear your VFF gear – you’ll be amazed how many of us there are, we truly are everywhere.
4. Connect in with your local VFF group: Catch up with like-minded fellow Kiwis and participate in one of our iconic “Pop Ups” while you’re at it.
5. Donate to VFF: because that’s how we keep fighting for you.

The truth is that all of the above is illustrative of just what lengths our government and media are prepared to go to, to demonise an entire section of society, furthering division and encouraging a culture of narks.

Their desperation is on display for all to see… and we intend to do our best to make sure people do see it.

STAY POSITIVE, STAY IN TOUCH, TAKE ACTION AND… KEEP HUGGING!

Claire, Alia & Libby xo

P.S. Remember to check out the Disinfo-Terrorist Identification Campaign at www.kiwi-stasi.co.nz and share our memes!