By 1news.co.nz
An ACT party candidate has immediately resigned after online comments where she likened vaccine mandates to Nazi concentration camps came to light.
Another candidate and senior party member has apologised for online comments including suggesting drowning victims had died due to the Covid-19 vaccine.
1News approached the ACT Party today about the posts, after which leader David Seymour spoke to the candidates.
Seymour said Elaine Naidu Franz – who had been the party’s Rangitata candidate and was 29 on the list – had offered to stand down, and he accepted.
Responding to a LinkedIn post by Seymour a year ago, Naidu-Franz said: “If you are wondering how the Nazis were able to come into power and do all the horrific things that they did, well you are looking at the start of the process right here. So Mr Seymour, when can we expect those who are unvaccinated to start wearing armbands? When can we expect to see concentration camps and re-education camps? When can we start expecting to see troops on our streets rounding up people?”
In another post, Naidu-Franz had also told Seymour he needed to “have the balls to front up to the people outside [Parliament]”.
Today, Seymour said her comments were “unacceptable”.
“I don’t like the allusion to Nazism. I represent the biggest Jewish community in New Zealand as the MP for Epsom, so I think that’s a little unfair.”
A second candidate, Darren Gilchrist – the ACT candidate for Waikato – apologised for comments regarding drowning victims.
On the Telegram app, Gilchrist posted: “Well over 40 drownings this summer so far. Given the jab side effects of myocarditis/heart attacks, and blood clotting, I’m thinking there is a likely link to jabs.”
Seymour said Gilchrist renounced the comments and apologised for them.
The posts were made 18 months ago when “tensions were very high right here outside Parliament”, Seymour said.
Speaking to 1News today, Gilchrist confirmed he no longer held the views he had expressed in the post.
“I was just asking questions… I don’t believe that… people drown for many reasons. I totally disavow that comment, that was made, gosh, 18 months ago – more than that. It was just asking a question. It wasn’t actually my genuine belief.”
He said another post calling former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern “Jabcinda” was inappropriate.
“I have no objection to people deciding to get vaccinated or not. I was very upset at mandates, which I think a number of New Zealanders were.”
He sits at 48 on the party list.
Asked if he was concerned about ACT candidates having extreme views, Seymour said was more concerned about people feeling “unable to speak freely”.
“I actually think we’ve got a real problem with these, almost, purity tests about people’s thinking.
“Sometimes it’s good to have people with a range of views. There’s some views that I don’t agree with and some that I actually find unacceptable.”
The party took candidate selection “very seriously”.
“The candidates we have support the policies of ACT today.
“There’s a balance here. There are views that I find unacceptable, but I also think that we need to have a range of views and a range of people in Parliament because when people don’t feel that their voice is represented, that’s when you get the conflagration that we had here, out on the steps of Parliament.”
Seymour said it was difficult to completely vet candidates’ online presence as in some cases that meant wading through “hundreds of thousands of comments”.
By Benedict Collins and Felix Desmarais
