Brethren lodge complaint over attack in House

Brethren businessmen Greg Mason, Neville Simmons and Andrew Simmons at a news conference last year. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Members of the Exclusive Brethren have complained to the Human Rights Commission about the Labour Government, alleging that attacks in Parliament this week breached their civil liberties.

The commission confirmed yesterday the complaint had been laid, but a spokeswoman said it could not comment further until it was investigated.

Auckland businessman Andrew Simmons was one of seven men behind Brethren pamphlets issued during last year's election campaign, and the subject of debate again in Parliament this week.

Early yesterday he said the group was planning to issue a statement next week outlining its concerns.

"We believe there is an issue concerning the civil rights of all New Zealanders in the way the whole thing is being conducted and that's really all we've got to say right now."

He did not tell the Herald a complaint had been laid with the commission but confirmed it after the commission was approached, and said the same seven men were involved.

The group's involvement in the election campaign resurfaced as Labour MPs tried to deflect attacks on their party's election spending.

Exclusive Brethren church members routinely sit in Parliament's public gallery to watch proceedings and often bring their children in on Wednesday nights.

Parliament's Serjeant-at-Arms yesterday confirmed they had been doing this for some years.

Cabinet minister Trevor Mallard referred to them as "chinless scarf-wearers" during a debate on Wednesday. Mr Simmons laughed when asked about this, but refused to comment further.

However, Wellington member Tim Lough was reported yesterday as saying Mr Mallard's remark was derogatory. "We are very upset."

Helen Clark refused to comment yesterday. On Wednesday, she said: "I want to say that the only knowing avoidance of election law was the National Party's dodging of $1.2 million from the Exclusive Brethren spent on a political campaign."

Last year, the Chief Electoral Officer at the time, David Henry, referred several complaints about the Brethrens' anti-Labour and anti-Green Party pamphlets to the police.

He said one pamphlet appeared to promote the party vote for National and the Brethren should therefore have got it authorised by the party.

However, as National did not authorise or consent to the spending it should not be considered election spending, he found. The police decided against taking any action.

Former Act MP Stephen Franks, a lawyer, said yesterday he believed that the highly conservative sect was being unfairly targeted, ironically by the same politicians who had recently criticised National MP Bob Clarkson for his attacks on Muslim women wearing burqas.

"The Prime Minister's venom against these people is precisely why it is a human right to participate anonymously in politics," he said, referring to Labour plans to change the law to forbid any anonymous campaign donations over $250, "so people don't suffer because of their views and are able to participate in politics without putting their personal life and businesses at risk."

Peter Lineham, associate professor of history at Massey University and an Open Brethren church member, said the group "certainly feel persecuted".

But it was "difficult to see why one should feel sorry for them when they spent a very large sum of money on a campaign in which they were less than clear as to who was responsible. You can't afford to be naive in politics."

Names were used on the pamphlets, but there was no reference to the Exclusive Brethren, which the group defended by saying they were acting as individuals.

It was revealed yesterday that the seven Brethren men this year made a submission to the justice and electoral select committee in which they defended their campaign and described themselves as a "group of citizens who were engaged in looking for a change of Government".

They said they had "acted in accord with our Christian conscience as enlightened by the Holy Scriptures".

The submission also said that since the election, MPs had conducted "systematic attacks against us", including "demeaning and untrue statements" made about the Brethren in general.

- Additional reporting Paula Oliver