The Statement
AAP FactCheck examined a Facebook post from June 19, 2019 published by Guardians of Australia which shows an image of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accompanied by an attributed quote that reads, “I hate those Jews… wipe them off the map!”.
Guardians of Australia describes itself as operating within the “Anti-Islamism Movement” to protect “Australian freedoms, values and traditions.” Its Facebook page has over 65,000 likes.
The post includes a headline that states “Anti-Semitism – It’s still a crime Jacinda”.
A black and white logo with the letters PSC and a map of Israel was also included alongside the New Zealand leader.
The Facebook post had been shared more than 80 times and attracted more than 130 comments and 190 reactions.
The Analysis
AAP FactCheck found no reference to any comment about hating Jews or advocating for their annihilation made by Prime Minister Ardern and found no evidence the New Zealand leader had ever said the quoted phrase posted on Facebook.
The New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Andrew Campbell told AAP FactCheck Jacinda Ardern “definitely did not say that”. “This is the complete antithesis of her approach and values,” he said.
Dr David Adler, the President of the Australian Jewish Association told AAP FactCheck the New Zealand leader “has never said anything as extreme as advocating for the killing of Jews”.
The quote appears to be appropriated from the former Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the earth” in a 2005 speech.
The reference to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) relates to an activist group based in the United Kingdom which advocates for “an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and for peace and justice for everyone living in the region”.
The inclusion of a PSC logo appears to be a reference to an incident in June 2019 when Immigration New Zealand, the official government website which looks after New Zealand’s “immigration rules and laws”, accidentally left Israel off its world map while showing Palestine on a fact sheet about Palestinian refugees.
The Verdict
Based on this evidence, AAP FactCheck found the Facebook post depicting Jacinda Ardern saying she “hated Jews” and wanted them “wiped off the map” to be false.
False – The Facebook post is false.
* AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
First published Friday July 19, 2019 16:48 AEST
