Anti-vax ideas fill colonial void – waateanews.com
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A veteran Māori activist says Māori involvement in extreme anti-vaccination protests is a symptom of the damage done by colonialism.
Mike Smith, who has been part of the Iwi Leaders Group consulting with the Government on Covid-19 responses, says about a quarter of the protesters involved in the occupation of Parliament grounds were Māori.
He says he understands why Māori may be suspicious of government, but colonisation forces people to forget their language and identity.
That can lead to tino rangatiratanga flags flying alongside Trump flags.
“The fact we saw a lot of people there standing beside Trump flags and embracing some of the ideas of white supremacy, this is indicative of the fact that there are some gaps in our consciousness, in our sense of identity as a people, and when we are not sure about who we are we are vulnerable to other people telling us this is who you could be or should be,” Mr Smith says.
He says part of the answer to this confusion is for Māori to reconnection with their own systems, philosophies and language.
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