NZ PM Jacinda Ardern never said Jews should 'be wiped off the map'

Factcheck Team July 19, 2019
ardern2
The quote attributed to the NZ PM appears to be appropriated from the former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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!. 

 

This Facebook post from June 19, 2019 attributes a fake quote about hating Jews to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

 

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 - Its 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 Ministers 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 Zealands 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 FactCheckis an accredited member of theInternational Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

 

 First published Friday July 19, 2019 16:48 AEST

 

 

Sources

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AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network