A New Zealand woman, Renee-Rose Schwenke, has claimed that police confronted her over a Facebook post she made, which was interpreted as racist. The post featured a photo of herself with two men of Indian appearance in the background and the caption: 'Welcome to New India'. This was intended as a dig at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with India. The post also included the phrase 'Welcome to New India thanks to Luxsingh'.
Police Involvement and Backlash
Schwenke stated that the post attracted a flood of abusive comments from Indian users and was eventually reported to the police. She described being called to the police station, where a senior sergeant told her that her post was 'unkind' and 'racist', and unwelcoming to the Indian community. 'I had the police call me regarding my 'racist' post. It wasn't threatening or inciting violence,' she wrote. 'He had to walk away from us twice because he was being led by his own personal views and couldn't handle a bit of push back and truth, instead of behaving as a professional. This is what happens when you live under a soft tyranny of the offended peoples. I won't silence my views to accommodate your feelings.'
Audio Recording and Further Statements
The woman also shared a recording of a female police officer contacting her mother, seeking her whereabouts in connection with the social media post. The officer explained that they planned to visit her home 'regarding some posts that she's been putting online that people have taken not that great, basically, so they've made some complaints to police'. Schwenke doubled down on her stance, stating: 'I get death threats on the regular for my views and beliefs, I get called every name under the sun racist, transphobic, Islamophobic but somehow I'm in the wrong. This world is upside down. Good is now evil and evil is now good.'
Re-sharing the Post
Schwenke reshared her original post with additional commentary: 'If you are offended by this, I'm not Singhling you out. It's nothing personal, not everysingh is about you. No to mass immigration invasion!' The incident highlights tensions around free speech, immigration, and cultural sensitivity in New Zealand.
