By TONY WALL
A water protest outside the home of Auckland City Councillor Phil Raffills turned ugly yesterday when the cancer-afflicted councillor smashed a window on the group's fire truck.
Four Water Pressure Group protesters set up outside Mr Raffills' Hillsborough home in mid-afternoon and began shouting their concerns about wastewater charges through a loud speaker.
Earlier in the day they had targeted the home of Mayor Christine Fletcher.
Mr Raffills, an unsuccessful National Party list candidate at the last election who is to undergo a bone-marrow transplant next month, was woken by the noise.
He confronted the group and smashed a side window on the fire truck with a water bottle, showering protesters and a small child with glass. Protester Jim Gladwin suffered cuts and bruises to an elbow and told police who arrived that he wanted assault and wilful-damage charges laid.
Four police officers tried for about two hours to resolve the situation amicably, but the protesters insisted they wanted to press charges.
No arrests had been made last night and an Auckland police spokesman said a decision on charges would be left to staff at the Avondale station.
It is understood that, in addition to possible charges against Mr Raffills, police will consider whether the protesters committed a breach of the peace or harassment offences.
Protester Penny Bright said Mr Raffills' actions were over the top and she would have expected better of a school principal and city councillor. "It's not a good look."
Asked whether she thought it was fair to be targeting the home of a man battling cancer on a Sunday, she said: "He was well enough to be at a community board meeting the other night."
Protester Murray Weight said Mr Raffills' actions had terrified his 3-year-old daughter. He was so upset he tried to chase Mr Raffills down his driveway, but was hampered by his artificial leg.
Mr Raffills, the principal of Avondale College, told the media after police had interviewed him for over an hour that the protesters were "animals" and he opposed their cause and their methods.
They had hurled personal insults over the loudspeaker, and had previously harassed him at council meetings, once telling him to "go home and die."
They had also turned off his water.
He said he was thinking of his family's protection when he approached the fire truck. His intention was to get the protesters to leave his family alone when he "tapped" on the window with the bottle, not to cause damage.
"Unfortunately it broke." He did not realise a small child was inside, he said.
Mr Raffills has been a controversial public figure, supporting bulk-funding as the principal of New Zealand's biggest school and opposing the Hero parade as a right-wing city councillor.
The Water Pressure Group, which opposes wastewater charges and privatisation of water supply, has had an ongoing battle with Metrowater.
In January, Metrowater caused controversy when it launched a series of surprise raids on properties of protesters who had boycotted wastewater fees, digging up mains and removing their pipes.
Glass flies in water clash
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