Anon’s story: racism in the street at Punkfest

I was visiting Wellington from Auckland for Punkfest 2011. I was outside Medusa Bar, and a group of my ‘friends’ wanted to go and see a pro-racist ‘white pride’ band (riding on the coat tails of Punkfest, but not actually booked to play at the festival.) I refused to go along and they tell me I’m being “too sensitive” and they only like them “for the music, not the sentiment.” I was mortified that a venue would even book a openly racist band.

I walk away with others who are refusing to see the band. As I leave I hear one of them say “she’s just a fucking Jew anyway.”

Karin’s story: intervening in the street

I was collecting money during an annual appeal in the morning near the bus stop across from Reading Cinemas, when a very disheveled man tried talking to a young Asian woman, asking her if she was from Japan.

When she ignored him he started swearing at her and calling her names. I felt scared but intervened saying: ‘Oi! Leave her alone!’ He then started swearing at me and telling me to mind my business.

I didn’t back down and neither did he. A young man waiting for the bus thankfully got involved but it took me calling the police for him to back down and walk away.

I was shaking during the whole ordeal, partly because I was nervous and partly because I was so angry.

I wonder if the police caught up to him. I wonder how seriously they took it.

I thanked the young man who backed me up but he downplayed the incident saying he was harmless. No, I said. That wasn’t harmless, that was intimidation.