Auckland councilor faces online abuse by conspiratorial parishioners

A South Auckland city councilor says he is receiving abuse online from parishioners who believe in the conspiracy to support the upcoming launch of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Ephesus Collins revealed today that he had received a series of angry messages from disgruntled South Aucklanders on social media attacking him for his pro-vaccine stance.

He said ongoing conversations with people in his South Auckland community who had concerns about Covid had worsened in recent days, with his vitriol now targeting personal spikes attacking his faith and integrity.

“Today I received several messages from people saying that the church should excommunicate me and asking me to repent for supporting the launch of a vaccine in South Auckland,” said the Manukau Ward Councilor.

“The thought is that the church should close the door for me, all that fraud, he doesn’t belong here, he’s not one of us.

“To be honest, I am really surprised that I have been communicating with people who believe in conspiracies since we entered the first lockdown around this time last year.

“All I’m trying to do is provide a platform where they feel like they’re being heard, but in the last few days it’s really taken a pretty bitter turn.”

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He said many messages were from people he had known for a long time who were connected to dissident charismatic Christian factions in the area.

They had previously been sending him “evidence” of a Covid conspiracy on Viber and Messenger.

He said he was one of the community leaders who had been abused online.

“There are also various church leaders who are being attacked like this all the time.

“It’s just a reflection of the frustration people feel, that borderline fanaticism between people.”

He said the authorities had to realize that this was not a wandering family holding these views, but a collective that somehow needed to be conquered through informed debate.

“My message to these people is that I understand their position very strong, but I think it is important that we have an open and solid discussion and that will not happen if we start to press charges against people.

“This is not how you have an argument. You don’t stop listening and you don’t get angry and walk away. You have to discuss these issues. While my example is sad, my thoughts are directed to the families who are in the house now locked up with someone from his family who is just preaching that kind of message. “

Collins said that as a member of the South Auckland community, she needed to balance all the conversations and that this one was particularly difficult to navigate.

It was about allowing people to vent their frustration but at the same time allowing freedom of thought.

“I know these people will go home to a whānau. While I prefer to say, ‘Oh, I can’t be disturbed,’ I know that when we are locked up, if there are young people in the house, those young people will listen to the messages on television. and they will probably say,
‘Yes, it is not a bad idea to take precautions.’

“But if you have dad in the house preaching this kind of message, the cultural nuance is that if you’re a young person, you just shut up and listen, they don’t have any recourse, so if I give them a chance to speak through this I hope at least they don’t
Take out some of that anger at the kids at home and force feed them what they want them to believe, but give them a little space to share their views as well. “

Collins said everyone should engage in a more mature and honest conversation rather than just threatening the communication.