The white supremacist organisation Action Zealandia is publicising its relationship with the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), a far-right Scandinavian group linked to several bombings.
Two members of the New Zealand-based group interviewed NRM member Andreas Johansson on their podcast about Jews and the Nordic group’s response to backlash against it.
According to the Counter Extremism Project, “NRM leaders and members have carried out numerous attacks against gay people, Muslim asylum seekers, and the group’s ideological adversaries”. A quarter of the group’s members have been convicted of a violent crime.
These events include successful bombings of a refugee centre and a left-wing cafe in Sweden and a plan to assassinate journalists. Although it operates an unsuccessful political party in Sweden and runs branches in several other Nordic countries, the NRM is banned outright in Finland.
In response to Newsroom’s reporting on Action Zealandia members’ alleged involvement in a terror threat against one of the mosques attacked on March 15 and plans to start terror cells in New Zealand, the group has previously claimed it “does not endorse illegal, or violent activities”.
In March, Newsroom reported on the actions of an Action Zealandia member who went by the online moniker “Matt”. This individual discussed plans to purchase firearms and start a terror cell in New Zealand and chatted with representatives of the NRM and the American far-right group The Base.
At the time, Action Zealandia disavowed the man.
Action Zealandia did not answer Newsroom’s questions about this seeming inconsistency and instead responded with a demand that this reporter, who is Jewish, “disavow jewish supremacy in the Israeli apartheid state”.
In response to a request for comment from Newsroom about Action Zealandia’s links to the NRM, a police spokesperson said the agency does not comment on “specific groups or their operations”.
“Police proactively work to ensure we have an in-depth knowledge of individuals and groups whose actions may pose a threat in New Zealand,” the spokesperson said.
“We encourage anyone who has concerns about particular individuals or groups to report those concerns to police – we all need to work together to ensure New Zealand is safe.”
In the podcast, the Johansson and the Action Zealandia members discuss neo-Nazi ideology, social media crackdowns on far-right activity and the “Jewish-owned press”.
One of the Action Zealandia members referred to critical reporting on the group as “smear campaigns against our movement”. They said some new members have been put off from joining the group because of this.
