Act Party leader David Seymour with Eden Bistro owner Sang Cho whose restaurant was attacked twice after it hosted an Act Party function on Waitangi Day. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Act Party leader David Seymour with Eden Bistro owner Sang Cho whose restaurant was attacked twice after it hosted an Act Party function on Waitangi Day. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
A post on Facebook calling for civil disobedience and attacks on offices of politicians has emerged two weeks after attacks on an Auckland restaurant following an Act Party event.
One Eden Bistro staff member has resigned and others continue to feel unsafe following two attacks after Act leader David Seymour delivered his state of the nation address there on Waitangi Day.
The post by a Leonidas Spartan called on "brave patriots" to "send a message to this corrupt govt system that the revolution has started".
Police said they were aware of the Facebook post and are looking into it.
The post urged people to launch attacks on offices of politicians using slingshots or water bombs filled with paint.
"Just one attack on MPs offices with paint slingshots is all that needs to happen so if there is 20 of you 5 do a hit one night all in different places at the same time and then 2 weeks later 5 more do it some where else so it looks random (sic)," the post said.
Eden Bistro owner Sang Cho believed either the person who made the post or one of his supporters had been behind the attacks on his restaurant.
"It's quite scary really, some of my staff are worried for their safety and who can blame them," Cho said.
The first attack appeared to have been made by a marble being fired by a slingshot, Cho said, and the second "looked like it was being fired from a rifle based on what we can see on the CCTV footage".
The two attacks occurred on the weekend after it hosted an Act Party function on Waitangi Day, where Seymour spoke out against firearms law, the persecution of landlords and the "hate speech regime".
Cho said a neighbour told him that about 4am on the Sunday morning after the first attack, he heard someone yelling "F*** Act Party, f*** David Seymour!".
"It's definitely politically motivated an not just random kids doing this out of mischief," Cho said.
Seymour said the matter was concerning and the person who made the post was "most definitely committing a crime" for inciting violence.
"I hope the police, with all the evidence that they have now, will be successful in bringing the perpetrators to justice," he said.
Seymour said there was no place for violence in New Zealand politics and Cho did not deserve to be caught in the crossfire.
"On the flipside we are seeing quite a few locals turning up at the restaurant to show their support," he added.
"We can't be intimidated by these thugs and bullies."
Police said they were investigating two complaints of wilful damage at the restaurant on Feb 9 and 10.
The first incident was reported on the Saturday after Waitangi Day where a marble was used to smash windows and the second on the Monday morning where windows were again damaged.
"Police have been making a number of inquiries into this matter and those inquiries are ongoing," a police spokeswoman said.
