Nelson councillors have been receiving abusive emails after a majority voted that the city council boycott businesses which operate in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.
Since the vote two weeks ago, supporters of Israel have sent emails expressing their "great sadness" over the council’s "foolish decision".
But other emails went further. One sender, through an anonymous email forwarded by council staff to police, said they were compiling the names of the "Nazis who support crimes against Jewish civilians".
Deputy mayor Rohan-O’Neill-Stevens moved the motion supporting the boycott and said describing the policy as antisemitic was "harmful".
"The resolution itself is directly dealing with companies who are involved in ‘flagrant’ violations of international law," they said.
"This isn’t about punishing a group or groups of people."
Mayor Nick Smith, who voted against the policy, equally said he did not equate "criticism of the settlements and the occupied territories, or of the Israeli government, as being antisemitic".
However, he did caution that while the policy was not antisemitic, he had seen some rhetoric and graffiti that was.
Staff earlier identified that the council has no known current procurement relationship with any of the identified companies, but the topic is not without relevance in New Zealand.
Last week New Plymouth District Council admitted it had investments in some of the companies.
Nelson City followed the Environment Canterbury and Christchurch City councils in updating their procurement policies prohibiting trading with corporations involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
• Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
By Max Frethey
