Video has emerged of a furious Sonny Bill Williams shouting at a neighbour over the building of a new mosque that he is backing.
The former All Black has been an outspoken proponent of the $5 million Hurstville Masjid construction in Carlton in south Sydney.
Plans for the mosque wereapproved by a court late last year, which has reportedly received opposition from some locals, who believe it will bring heavy traffic to the quiet suburban area.
The Daily Mail Australia reports Williams got into a shouting match with a neighbour of the proposed mosque.
The local resident filmed the confrontation - both he and Williams were captured yelling at each other.
The man has reportedly since moved out of the area.
The incident comes after reports of neighbours claiming they have suffered a “campaign of intimidation” since they began fighting the plans for the mosque’s construction, according to the Daily Mail Australia.
One resident reportedly had firecrackers thrown into her yard and suffered verbal abuse by strangers on the street. Others say the value of their property has fallen due to the controversy surrounding the noise and potential traffic of the mosque.
There is no suggestion that Williams is at all involved in the reports of harassment.
Former All Black Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Getty Images
Williams, who lives near the mosque site with wife Alana and their three children, has been the public face of the development, along with fellow former boxer and friend Anthony Mundine.
Williams and Mundine have reportedly donated $200,000 to the mosque.
After the mosque plans were approved in December last year, Williams said: “It’s been a roller coaster ride to get this Masjid up and running, maybe four or five years.
“As a proud Muslim in this area, this is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.”
