Sikh Nagar Kirtan procession in New Zealand was disrupted by protestors who performed Haka (Image: X/ BrianTamakiNZ)
In New Zealand, a Sikh Nagar Kirtan religious procession was disrupted for the second time in weeks by a right-wing religious group that opposed the parade. They staged a demonstration in front of the Sikh procession. The video that showed this incident has gone viral and sparked widespread attention and condemnation. The annual Sikh procession, which is held to commemorate Guru Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary, is organised by the local Sikh community. It took place on Sunday, January 11, in Tauranga and was authorised by authorities ahead of time.
Members of True Patriots of New Zealand, a group linked to Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church, gathered ahead of the procession and disrupted her with banners reading, “This is New Zealand, not India.” They performed a haka which is a traditional Māori tribal dance, and chanted slogans as part of their protest. The police maintained order between the demonstrators and the Sikhs who participated in the procession.
Tamaki shared the video of the protest online, it was captioned “WHOSE STREETS? KIWI STREETS.” and “The True Patriots Are Not Backing Down.”
It further read that, “Today in Tauranga, our True Patriots answered the Sikh Parade with a haka…not violence, not silence, but peaceful defiance. Our chant rang out across our streets: ‘Whose streets? OUR streets. Whose streets? KIWI streets.”
He addressed the Prime Minister of New Zealand as well saying, To Chris Luxon,
Winston Peters, and David Seymour You have failed to protect our national identity. You have opened the gates without demanding assimilation. You have allowed New Zealand to be fragmented, divided, and diluted. Leadership is not managing our decline. Leadership is defending the nation.”
However, the protest and Sikh procession continued without any untoward incident thanks to police presence. The volunteers coordinated with the police to ensure safety and allowed the event to conclude peacefully.
The disruptions have prompted a strong reaction from Sikh organisations. Harjinder Singh Dhami, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in India, condemned the opposition, saying, “Viewing the religious traditions of the Sikh community with a hateful mindset is completely unacceptable.” He added that “Nagar Kirtan is a sacred religious tradition of Sikhism, and opposing it is not only an attack on the humanitarian values of the Sikh faith but also a challenge to social harmony and mutual coexistence.”
The SGPC leader has said that the New Zealand and Indian governments should take the matter seriously and prevent such incidents. He emphasised that the Sikh community has a history of peaceful coexistence and respect for the host nation’s laws and culture.
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