Anti-Semitic graffiti has appeared atop an Auckland maunga targeting the Tūpuna Maunga Authority chair Paul Majurey in what has been called an “abhorrent act”.
Since October, protesters have been occupying Ōwairaka/Mt Albert to prevent the removal of hundreds of exotic trees as part of a major cultural and native restoration project that has the backing of the city’s mana whenua and Auckland Council representatives.
The protest camp was removed by the TMA on Wednesday as it breached the Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown rules.
But protest group Honour The Maunga disputed the reasoning behind the removal, issuing a media statement claiming they had unveiled “concerning untruths”, including that the TMA had police support and that the tent equipment was removed from the maunga – the group claimed it had instead been placed in the toilet block.Overnight Thursday that very toilet block was plastered in bright orange graffiti reading, “Majurey lies”, with two large Star of David symbols beneath his name.
Honour the Maunga spokeswoman Anna Radford told the Herald the group did not support the action, and called it a “disgusting act”.
But Majurey said it continued a run of “hate speech” and demonstrated the true character of the protest group.
“Childish name-calling is of no consequence, but the anti-Semitic and supremacist use of the Star of David is abhorrent,” said Majurey, who himself has no Jewish heritage.
“Sadly, this is the latest ramping up of the escalation of intimidation and hate speech by the protest group.”
