Rally against 'tragedy' attracts abuse

Kaitaia's StandWithUs rally, at the Saturday morning market, was a convivial affair until it attracted opposition. Photo / Peter Jackson

Kaitaia's contribution to demonstrations and marches around the country on Saturday, calling for an end to violence in Gaza and Israel, was a small, convivial gathering of local people calling for peace, and while it attracted interest from a number Saturday morning market-goers, it drew a vitriolic response from two individuals.

Shortly after the Northland Age left a man reportedly abused the group with what one described as extremely foul language and very threatening, aggressive gestures.

"Apart from asking him to refrain from such language because of women present, we did not speak to him," she said.

"He left after some minutes of extreme anti-semitic and surprisingly racist comments. However, he returned in a car some 30 minutes later with another man and they both then continued with their threatening, anti-semitic, racist shouting, using the same obscene language and gestures. This concerned whose land it was, and comments re Adolf Hitler.

"The men in our group, and a woman from another stall, tried to unsuccessfully de-escalate the situation. Thanks to members of the public who intervened, the men were then forced back into their car and they left. The police were called but declined to attend." (See letters, page 7).

Pamphlets distributed by the group noted that since May 10, the "racist" terrorist group Hamas and its allies in Gaza had launched more than 2000 rockets at Israeli civilians and their homes, Israel responding with hundreds of strikes aimed at stopping terrorists in Gaza from murdering Israelis.

"Hamas also encouraged mob violence by Arab extremists in Israel, and Jewish extremists retaliated with mob violence of their own," it added.

"Jewish and Arab leaders across the Israeli political spectrum strongly condemned this, and members of both communities have held rallies calling for peace."

The violence, it added, had been a horrific tragedy for Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

Meanwhile the Palestine Solidarity Network Whangārei held a 'dialogue space' and stall near the Growers' Market, collecting signatures calling for New Zealand government action against current events in Gaza, and donations for the Gaza Human Rights Centre, whose offices were destroyed by an Israeli missile.

Spokesman Tim Howard said the event was going ahead despite Friday's ceasefire because the causes of the conflict, and its effects, still needed to be addressed.