April 30, 2020
Owairaka protest triggers hate speech graffiti
Auckland Tupuna Maunga Authority chair Paul Majurey says the ratcheting up of tension by the Honour the Maunga protest group has contributed to a spate of racist and anti-semitic graffiti attacks on Ōwairaka-Mount Albert.
In the latest attack, a large Star of David with dollar signs inside was sprayed on the ground in front of a toilet block, and the block itself was painted with the words WAI, 5G, and a range of white supremacist symbols.
Group spokesperson Anna Radford denied any connection to an earlier attack the day after the authority cleared the group’s tents from the site, and yesterday published an opinion piece claiming allegations of racism were being used to shut down legitimate debate about the authority’s plans to remove some trees from the mountain.
But Mr Majurey says there is a direct link to the protest.
"Now whether it’s actual members of the group themselves or followers and the like, we simply don't know. We don't know who they are. The most important thing for us is they are defacing the tupuna maunga, these sacred places, and it's not been helpful that the protest group has over time been ramping up the temperature on this place and causing some of the tone and issue we are seeing here really sadly," he says.
Mr Majurey says the 5G seems to reference a conspiracy theory shared on social media that the Tupuna Maunga Authority’s plans to replant the volcanic cones with native species is a cover for putting cell towers on them all.
Copyright © 2020, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com