We understand that according to the Human Rights Commission as upheld by the United Nations that there are various kinds of abuse - victimization, etc; we feel that the kind that we are undergoing through this advertisement falls into the following - Direct and indirect discrimination http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=403 as well as under Provision of goods and services http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=13869 and racial/religious harassment which I believe also come under Part II of the Act.
It is clearly stated that:
Considering; that the Charter of the United Nations is
based on the principles of the dignity and equality inherent in all human
beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint
and separate action, in co-operation with the Organization, for the achievement
of one of the purposes of the United Nations which is to promote and encourage
universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms
for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,
http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=450#_Toc508789898
We too are of the same mind that: that the existence of racial barriers is repugnant to the ideals of any human society,
We have our rights isn't it (Part I, Article 5, section d) The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; without undergoing public ridicule by the NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau........
From the Human Rights Commission web-page http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=450#_Toc508789898
In the "Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of
Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief" Proclaimed
by General Assembly resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981. (For New Zealand
dates see page 144.)
Considering; that one of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations is that of the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint and separate action in co-operation with the Organization to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,
Considering; that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principles of non-discrimination and equality before the law and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief,
Considering; that the disregard and infringement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or whatever belief, have brought, directly or indirectly, wars and great suffering to mankind, especially where they serve as a means of foreign interference in the internal affairs of other States and amount to kindling hatred between peoples and nations,
Considering; that religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one of the fundamental elements in his conception of life and that freedom of religion or belief should be fully respected and guaranteed,
Resolved; to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of such intolerance in all its forms and manifestations and to prevent and combat discrimination on the ground of religion or belief,
Proclaims; this Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief:
Article 1
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have
a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually
or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion
or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
(....which I believe must include without public ridicule by the NZ Beef & Lamb Marketing Bureau, or similar individuals or groups)
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
( or reject, ridicule or mock ...through influencing the public through the media of TV...)
3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
(this advertisement is clearly judging us as being something inferior and worthy of ridicule, or possible threat to their life-style)
Article 2
1. No one shall be subject
to discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons, or person
on the grounds of religion or other belief.
(Non-violence to all living beings, through the teachings of Ahimsa, and enacted through Vegetarianism is one of the fundamental limbs of the Hare Krishna religion, and this is being publically ridiculed - our method of taking our religion, teachings and life-style is via the street chanting, it happens daily in hundreds of cities and towns around the world, everyone knows that as much as they do that we're vegetarians)
2. For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression “intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief” means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.
(...we see that this is happening, with the assistance of the BSA and Advertising Authority who have endorsed this kind of behaviour as being acceptable where actually it is not. Could you imagine if it were the Maori Huka being ridiculed, or the Anglican Eucarist, there would be an uproar and rightly so !!! )
Article 3
Discrimination between human
being on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human
dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and
fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and enunciated in detail in the International Covenants on Human Rights,
and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations between nations.
(...how can they see us as friends, they are vilifying us in public to influence the public to purchase their product !!!! with a smile and the words of Rod Slater - "we mean no offense". To mock anyone is a cheep move, to deny it is gutless. Such insensitivity to our religion or anyone else's is simply not acceptable.)
Article 4
1. All States shall take effective measures to
prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief
in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural
life.
(...if we were not publicly attacked in this way we would not be complaining - something needs to be done to stop this singling out and misrepresentation and abuse stopped. Why should we or any other group/religion have to tolerate it. It's a cop out to suggest that religious groups be tolerent...... roll over and get used to it. Again that is not an acceptable option.)
2. All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where necessary to prohibit any such discrimination, and to take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of religion or other beliefs in this matter.
( thank you, please do it !!! )
Article 5
1. The parents or, as the case may be, the legal
guardians of the child have the right to organize the life within the family
in accordance with their religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral
education in which they believe the child should be brought up.
( my children have to watch on TV their religion and culture mocked and the propagation of ideas that put forward opposing philosophy presented, it is unfair to subject young minds to such presentations through this powerful media of TV. My three children all are disgusted with this ad'. Then some insensitive children at school having learned to mock Hare Krishna's from the TV ad' cause discomfort, personal hurt and siffering to my children - is that fair, is that not insighting religious hatred??? )
2. Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of his parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled to receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents or legal guardians, the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.
(.....it is also on behalf of my children also that we are complaining - they asked me to complain on their behalf !!! )
3. The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on the ground of religion or belief. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, respect for freedom of religion or belief of others, and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.
(.....yes, and we believe animals too !! All God's creatures !!! )
4. In the case of a child who is not under the care either of his parents or of legal guardians, due account shall be taken of their expressed wishes or of any other proof of their wishes in the matter of religion or belief, the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.
(...we believe so - I humbly suggest that our children also agree )
5. Practices of a religion or belief in which a child is brought up must not be injurious to his physical or mental health or to his full development, taking into account article 1, paragraph 3, of the present Declaration.
( 100% agree - also to their own self esteem, seeing their religion ridiculed and made a mockery of to present one of the practices that our religion and culture is against....... and supported by the Advertising Authority when such things clearly go against their policy too, that is the amazing thing, these people should not be allowed to be an authority......)
Article 6
In accordance with article I of the present Declaration,
and subject to the provisions of article 1, paragraph 3, the right to freedom
of thought, conscience, religion or belief shall include, inter alia, the
following freedoms:
a) To worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to establish and maintain places for these purposes;
( ...that would include not being ridiculed through a TV advertisement for doing so ??? )
b) To establish and maintain appropriate charitable or humanitarian institutions;
( ....we consider Vegetarianism to also be part of that, see my site http://turn.to/Vegetarianism )
c) To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the necessary articles and materials related to the rites or customs of a religion or belief;
d) To write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas;
e) To teach a religion or belief in places suitable for these purposes;
(...without being ridiculed for doing so, as in the advertisement how devotees dance down all the major cities of the world propagating the Holy Names of the Lord - hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare, hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare http://www.hknet.org.nz/harernam-page.htm )
f) To solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions from individuals and institutions;
g) To train, appoint, elect or designate by succession appropriate leaders called for by the requirements and standards of any religion or belief;
h) To observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one’s religion or belief;
i) To establish and maintain communications with individuals and communities in matters of religion and belief at the national and international levels.
Article 7
The rights and freedoms set forth in the present Declaration
shall be accorded in national legislation in such a manner that everyone
shall be able to avail himself of such rights and freedoms in practice.
( .....that's what we thought was happening here in New Zealand, the reason that there are such Acts and even the Treaty of Waitangi, but the reality is that it is NOT SO, there's blatant discrimination going on, and it is being upheld by such bodies as the Advertising Standards Authority, and its general manager Richard Prosser richard@tvcab.co.nz . If we didn't feel so offended then we would not be complaining, simple as that !!! We would like to be able to continue unhindered, without ridicule, the religion we hold dear, and it's practices of street chanting, and even the distribution of vegetarian meals, and the books that philosophically explain both.)
Article 8
Nothing in the present Declaration
shall be construed as restricting or derogating from any right defined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants
on Human Rights.
We want that there's an agreement not to discriminate and or victimize us or others like us through their tactless and insensitive advertising campaigns in the future. This is after all New Zealand not Iraq or Taliban lead Afghanistan or similar places where individuals or groups can be picked on at will and abused, ridiculed and generally made to suffer so that others may benefit, as in this case financially through their animal slaughter business. As for the health benefits of "red meat" we strongly contest that too, as you will find in my web-site http://turn.to/Vegetarianism
Please stop this nonsense immediately, and let us all live in harmony, man and beast (ideally) in a least troubled corner of the world.