'White pride' group allowed stall at Auckland Uni O-Week
The University of Auckland says a controversial new student club hasn't done anything wrong, but critics say it's only a matter of time.
The Auckland University European Students Association (AUESA) says it is a "non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of European culture on campus".
"We are open to people of all beliefs and nationalities, and our group is strictly apolitical," its Facebook page reads.
But concerns have been raised about the group's choice of imagery and slogans. Its Facebook page features the phrase "our pride is our honour and loyalty" - close to the motto used by the Nazi paramilitary organisation Shutzstaffel, better known as the SS: "My honour is called loyalty."
Last week the group uploaded a photo of a painting called 'The Proclamation of the German Empire', and its logo features a Celtic design - a motif often used by white supremacist groups.
"Their on-paper mission is to promote participation and awareness of European cultures and identities, but a lot of the rhetoric the club uses, as well as images and material they post, are very strongly indicative of a highly nationalist or white pride group," Will Matthews, president of the Auckland University Students Association, told Newshub.
"We at AUSA understand and want to preserve the importance of free speech on campus, but we also know it's important to balance that with the importance of having a tolerant and accepting campus, where students don't feel persecuted."
The club is yet to be formally associated with AUSA, but has applied. Students get to vote on whether to accept the club in the second week of the university semester.
Next week is the university's O-Week, where the AUESA will have a stall. The university says it's "normal practice to allow new clubs to attend Clubs Expo, so they don't miss out on the opportunity to promote their club and sign up members".
"We have no evidence there is any form of discrimination or racism," the university said in a statement.
Mr Matthews says the evidence is right there on the group's Facebook page.
"The presence of this iconography and imagery is immediately offensive to certain groups of students - especially considering the large amount of history behind some of those slogans and iconography, but also just the times that we are living in now, where nationalism and nationalist feeling is on the rise across the world.
"Certain groups are finding themselves under duress, and we just want to make sure that does not happen at Auckland University as well."
AUESA did not respond to Newshub's request for an interview, but told RNZ's The Wireless it would "represent Europeans in the sense that AUPISA represents Pacific Islanders".
Rather than spread hate, the group says it wants to organise activities like "hiking, camping or snorkelling trips".
"We will try give it a European cultural theme," the unnamed spokesperson said.
If it gets the thumbs-up from the student body, AUESA won't be the first controversial group to raise concerns at the University of Auckland. In 2012 complaints were laid against Pro-Life, an anti-abortion group accused of distributing misleading health information.
In a fiery meeting in the university quad, AUSA members voted to keep Pro-Life affiliated to the association.
Newshub.