After a New Zealand navy vessel struck a reef and sunk, some social media users have identified the captain’s gender as the principal cause. The country’s defense minister has slammed the sexist abuse.

New Zealand’s defense minister has called out “vile” and “misogynistic” criticism of the female captain of a navy ship that sank off the coast of Samoa on Sunday.

“Seriously, it’s 2024,” Judith Collins told reporters on Thursday. “What the hell’s going on here? Where’s a bit of decency?”

HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on a reef it was surveying about a mile off the coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populous island, before catching fire.

  • stellargmite@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Meanwhile the NZ gov use this as a distraction while they display a disgusting lack of humility, regret, or compassion to the people who will be most affected by this. What an embarrassment. They behave as if this is a minor loss by the All Blacks, while traipsing around the world on trade junkets with smarmy CEO-like abandon. Talk about up ending NZ’s already tenuous reputation in the South Pacific, and with our long disrespected neighbour Samoa. Not enough that this gov are trashing our local environment and services within the country. They really had to cherry pick these trolls out of a sea of moderate response , most likely at the instruction of their PR social media and info strategy overlords. I’m sure the skipper of this vessel is suffering enough without her government (and employer) cynically using her as a political opportunity for distraction.