Racist abuse on Auckland bus: Many from Chinese community fearful of taking public transport in Auckland, community leader says

An Auckland Chinese community leader says many Chinese have become fearful of taking public transport.

This comes after a video of a woman verbally abusing two bus passengers with racist remarks was shared and weeks after another woman allegedly beat a boy with a metal rod on a bus.

“These racist attacks against Asians are coming one after another, and we don’t know when it’s going to end,” Safe Communities Association chairman David Yang said.

“Many in the community, especially the Chinese ladies, have told me they no longer feel safe taking buses or public transport in Auckland.”

Police are asking the victims of a racially motivated assault on an Auckland bus to come forward so they can find their attacker.

Video footage of the incident captured a woman yelling, pushing and spitting at Asian Kiwi passengers during a violent and racist tirade on a bus on Monday.

Auckland Central area commander Grant Tetzlaff said police were investigating the incident.

“Initial reports were received about a woman being verbally abusive towards two passengers aboard the route 70 service after 6pm.”

He said they are aware two passengers may have been assaulted.

Tetzlaff also said they had spoken with the bus driver.

“The woman had already got off the bus at this point and police were made aware she had boarded another bus and left the area.”

He said police were combing CCTV footage to try to find the woman.

Tetzlaff was also looking to speak to the victims and other passengers and urged them to come forward.

“Anyone who uses public transport should be able to utilise these services without being subjected to this sort of behaviour.”

The woman allegedly pushed one man and spat on another after yelling at passengers to “go back to [their] own country”, the witness told the Herald.

“It is really unsafe now. I hardly take public transport anymore. It’s only getting worse,” the witness said.

It comes after a 39-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly beating a Chinese-New Zealand schoolboy with a metal rod on a bus in Pakuranga last month, which police have called a hate-motivated crime. The assault knocked out three of his teeth, damaged another two, and left his face bloodied.

The witness to the incident said she kept quiet, unsure whether the woman was armed.

“If this crazy girl is going around like this every day, it will get worse. Either someone’s going to fight back against her or she’s going to do something even crazier.”

The incident began with the abusive woman counting as passengers got onto the bus outside the University of Auckland. The person initially did not understand what the woman was doing.

“I was thinking, ‘Why is she counting?’, then when I was sitting down she got up to 11 and she said, ‘There’s too many f***ing Asians here’. She was swearing and everything, and she’s like, ‘Go back to your country’.”

On July 13, hundreds comprising mainly Chinese New Zealanders attended a rally organised by the Crime Prevention Group, demanding an end to racism.

Police asked anyone with information to contact them by calling 105 or go online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 using ‘Update My Report’

Reference file number 240722/1082.