Auckland (The NZ Today)
Social media users in India appear unable to access some content shared by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki, after Facebook displayed a notice saying the content had been restricted due to a “legal request”.
The screenshot of the notification was shared by Samuel Tamaki, Brian Tamaki’s son, on Facebook. The message stated: “People in India won’t see your content. We’ve restricted access to your shared content due to a legal request.”
The post shared alongside the notice related to Tamaki’s ongoing dispute with Police and Police Minister Mark Mitchell, featuring the headline “Mark Mitchell’s Vendetta Against Me”.
Facebook’s notice does not identify who made the legal request, which authority was involved, or the specific law under which the restriction was applied.
The restriction comes after months of controversy surrounding Tamaki’s comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before Modi’s New Zealand visit in July.
Tamaki had criticised Modi and raised concerns about issues including religious freedom and human rights in India. He has defended those comments as political protest and rejected suggestions that they represented hate speech or incitement.
The comments later became part of a wider dispute after Police suspended and revoked Tamaki’s firearms licence, saying they were no longer satisfied he met the “fit and proper person” requirement to possess firearms.
Tamaki has challenged that decision and said his lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, has lodged a formal submission seeking the return of his firearms.
He has also said a request was made for the firearms to be transferred into the lawful custody of another licensed firearms owner while the matter is being reviewed.
Tamaki has alleged the firearms decision may have involved political interference and has questioned whether Police Minister Mark Mitchell had any involvement in discussions about his licence.
However, he has not publicly provided evidence proving that any minister or political figure directed Police action, and the allegation remains disputed.
Tamaki has argued the issue is about free speech rather than firearms safety, saying his licence was affected because of his public statements against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rather than any allegation that he had misused firearms.
However, the reason for the restriction remains unclear, with Facebook only stating that it followed a “legal request”.
Meanwhile, neither Brian Tamaki nor Samuel Tamaki has released further details about the request or identified the authority behind the restriction.
