New Zealand minister sparks flood of complaints after blaming ‘white cis men’ for violence

New Zealand’s “violence prevention minister” has sparked fury after singling out a group she claims “causes violence in the world”.

New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission says it has received more than 90 complaints about Marama Davidson and her comments saying it’s “white cis men who cause violence in the world”.

The Greens co-leader and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence is refusing to publicly apologise, although she repeatedly told journalists in Parliament on Tuesday she felt it appropriate to clarify her comments.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has said Ms Davidson apologised to him privately, but National Party leader Christopher Luxon wants a public apology “to the people that she caused offence to”.

Ms Davidson made the comment when approached by a member of the far-right website Counterspin for her opinion on behaviour at the Posie Parker protest.

Transgender ideologues stage a violent protest and shut down a women’s rights demonstration, but Greens co-leader Marama Davidson says the problem is white cis men.pic.twitter.com/JofXmLs11N

— The Zeitgeist (@TheZeitgeistNZ) March 25, 2023

“Trans people are tired of being oppressed and discriminated,” Ms Davidson said.

“I am a prevention violence minister and I know who causes violence in the world, it is white cis men. That is white cis men who cause violence in the world.”

Cis refers to someone who is the same gender now as what was assigned to that person when they were born.

After an uproar from political parties, Ms Davidson said she was “not as clear in my comments” as she should have been because she had just been hit by a motorcycle and was “still in shock”.

Ms Davidson said she should have been clear that “violence happens in every community”.

Marama Davidson said ‘white cis men’ cause violence. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty

Fronting journalists for the first time since her comments, Ms Davidson said, “I have clarified what I intended to say and particularly affirm and acknowledge victims and survivors who may not have seen themselves in my comments and wanted to make sure I affirm their experiences.”

When asked if she would apologise to people who felt offended, as the National Party has called for, Ms Davidson repeated she had “made things clearer in my public statement”.

“I acknowledge that I should have been clearer in my words. I normally take incredible care. I understand the importance of my language in my work,” Ms Davidson said.

“This is how much focus I normally take in the language that I use, which is why I have clarified it in my public statement.”

Mr Hipkins says he gave Ms Davidson leeway for her “white cis men” comments.

“It was clearly a regrettable situation,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking.

Mr Hipkins told Hosking the statement was clearly wrong.

“She already contacted my office yesterday saying the video did not convey the message she wanted to convey,” he said.

“Her office contacted mine. I think clearly words that she ended up using were not the message she was trying to convey.”

The decision to make an apology was up to Ms Davidson, he said.

He had not yet spoken to Ms Davidson about the comment but had text messaged her when she was at the hospital getting treated for the hit by a motorcycle, Mr Hipkins said.

“Marama has clarified what she has said and I am satisfied with it,” he said.

“She had been hit by a motorcycle and she gets leeway. She has clarified her comments. It is a regrettable situation. She would almost certainly not been at her best.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

Mr Hipkins said the comment was not “particularly helpful” and the inclusion of ethnicity shouldn’t have been made.

”I don’t think bringing ethnicity into the debate was particularly helpful,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast show.

Mr Hipkins acknowledged Ms Davidson had been trying to make a point that the majority of sexual violence, family violence and domestic violence was carried out by men.

“As men, we should acknowledge that fact and we should continue to talk about that — that it’s not okay,” he said.

On Davidson’s comments, Mr Hipkins said at yesterday’s post-cabinet press conference it was important to consider the context — she had been hit by a motorcycle and was being “harassed” by protesters.

Mr Hipkins said it wasn’t the words he would use.

“The right to free speech does not extend to physical violence,” Mr Hipkins said when asked whether he endorsed the actions at Posie Parker’s protest in Auckland on Saturday.

“I’ll never support people who resort to violence.”

This article originally appeared on NZ Herald and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as New Zealand minister sparks flood of complaints after blaming ‘white cis men’ for violence