Judith Collins says the Government needs to be "really careful" about implementing new hate speech laws in the wake of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack.
National's leader was asked about her thoughts on proposed new hate speech laws at Parliament this afternoon.
"It’s a pretty contentious issue and we’d have to look very carefully at that," Collins said.
She pointed out that a section of the Crimes Act already has an offence to incite violence or hatred against various groups in the community.
She added that New Zealand wouldn't want to adopt a UK-style law , as criminalising speech won’t necessarily stop violent action.
“You can’t legislate people's thoughts — that’s really clear — and we wouldn’t want to drive underground thoughts or statements that could then lead to actual violence," she said.
Her comments come as the Government is intending to strengthen laws around hate-motivated activity and inciting hatred against an individual or group.
“Speech which is abusive or threatening and incites hostility towards a group or person can cause significant harm,” Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said.
There will also be changes to the Human Rights Act, which will see protections for trans, gender-diverse and intersex people.
Al Noor Mosque’s Rashid Omar says the victims are looking forward to working with the Government on building a more supportive and inclusive system in New Zealand.
In a statement released this afternoon, Collins said the man who carried out the terrorist attack in March 2019 "failed".
“The atrocities committed on March 15, 2019, were the actions of an evil terrorist designed to spread fear and silence those who did not share his world view. But the actions of New Zealanders since then in denouncing him and what he stood for is proof that he failed.
“The Opposition stands ready to work constructively with the Government to ensure we learn from this event and make New Zealand a safer place for all five million of us."
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