Renee-Rose Schwenke said police contacted her over a Facebook post that read, “Welcome to New India,” and told her the remark was racist and unwelcoming to the Indian community. [1]
Schwenke said the post was meant as a jibe at New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon after he signed a free trade agreement with India. She said the post was later flooded with abusive comments from Indians and reported to police. [1]
She shared a recording in which a police officer said they were planning to come to her house about complaints over posts she had been placing online. Schwenke said she was also taken to the police station, where a senior sergeant told her the post was unkind and racist. [1]
In another post, Schwenke said she receives death threats regularly and is often called racist, transphobic and Islamophobic. In the same online comments, she wrote, “I had the police call me regarding my ‘racist’ post. It wasn’t threatening or inciting violence.” [1]
Schwenke also said a police officer contacted her mother after the post drew complaints. The case came after Luxon signed the India free trade agreement, which Schwenke said prompted her satirical message. [1]
