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New Zealand again: Protesters disrupt Sikh nagar kirtan for the second time in three weeks
The nagar kirtan started at 11 am from the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, following religious ceremonies and moved towards Tauranga Boys’ College via Cameron Road, according to the information
For the second time in the last three weeks, a local right-wing religious protesters linked to Pentecostal leader Brian Tamaki and his Destiny Church disrupted the annual nagar kirtan (Sikh religious procession) organised by the community to mark birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in New Zealand on Sunday, drawing sharp reactions from various Sikh bodies, including Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). A similar incident had happened on December 21 in Auckland.
The incident occurred in Tauranga city, 225km away from Auckland, when the procession was stopped by the protesters. The nagar kirtan started at 11 am from the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, following religious ceremonies and moved towards Tauranga Boys’ College via Cameron Road, according to the information.
Keeping in view the possible disruption, the police department had already beefed up security arrangements. The protesters blocked the procession and performed the Haka dance in front of the procession, carrying a banner reading, “This is New Zealand, not India.”
However, police presence stopped the situation from escalating into a confrontation and no untoward incident was reported.
The Haka is a traditional ceremonial dance of the Māori people of New Zealand performed to express pride, unity, welcome, challenge, or to commemorate significant occasions like funerals, not just as a war dance.
A video of the incident was shared by Tamaki with captions stating, “WHOSE STREETS? KIWI STREETS.” “The True Patriots Are Not Backing Down.”
“Today in Tauranga, our True Patriots answered the Sikh Parade with a haka…not violence, not silence, but peaceful defiance. Our chant rang out across our streets: ‘Whose streets? OUR streets. Whose streets? KIWI streets.”
On December 21, the local right-wing protesters had confronted the Sikh parade at Auckland, which was taken out to mark the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas, sons of the 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.
Extremely worrying: SGPC chief
The SGPC president, Harjinder Singh Dhami, condemned the incident and stated that it was a peaceful event in accordance with Sikh religious traditions. “Such an incident has occurred for the second time in New Zealand and has deeply disappointed the Sikh community,” he said.
“Viewing the religious traditions of the Sikh community, which have always made an exemplary contribution to strengthening global brotherhood, with a hateful mindset is unacceptable. Nagar Kirtan is a sacred religious tradition of Sikhism, and opposing it is not only an attack on the humanitarian values of the Sikh faith but also a challenge to social harmony and mutual coexistence”, the SGPC chief said, adding, “Sikh community living in every country has always coexisted peacefully with local people and has consistently respected the laws and culture of the host nations. Despite this, deliberately preventing Sikhs from practising their religion is highly disappointing.”
Dhami appealed to the governments of New Zealand and India to take notice of the matter and take strict action against those responsible.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the repeated disruptions of nagar kirtans in New Zealand were “deeply concerning.”
In his post on X on Sunday, Sukhbir said, “Nagar Kirtans are sacred religious processions that promote peace, unity, and community service. The Sikh community, which always prays for ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ (the welfare of all), has shown exemplary restraint at such sensitive moments. Anguished by these repeated incidents, I urge the Hon’ble External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to immediately take up this matter diplomatically with the New Zealand government to protect Sikh religious freedom abroad. Religious expression must be safe for all. Shiromani Akali Dal stands with our diaspora,” he said.
