Indian man in Akl publicly shamed for roadside dumping speaks out

An Indian-origin Auckland man, Mr A (name withheld), says he has lodged complaints with Police and raised concerns with Netsafe after a video of him and a friend allegedly attempting to dump cardboard in Auckland went viral, resulting in abusive phone calls and messages over the past six days.The incident took place on 4 April in Alfriston.

He also alleges the person who recorded the footage broke his car’s side mirror, raising safety concerns.

“I have apologised to the Police, I also told them that I am ready to pay the fine (if any) and apologised to the person who made our video,” Mr. A told The Indian Weekender.

Police have confirmed they received a report relating to the incident.

“Police can confirm they received a report in relation to an incident in Alfriston earlier this month,” a spokesperson told The Indian Weekender.

They added that enquiries are in the early stages to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

How the situation unfolded

Mr A shared with The Indian Weekender, that he had been out with a friend intending to dispose of three sofa-sized cardboard pieces before a function at their home on 5 April, and had been searching for recycling facilities in Manurewa and Papakura. He said the facilities were closed due to the public holiday.

On their return, Mr. A said they attempted to leave the cardboard on a grassy and muddy area, believing it would decompose over time, before being confronted by a passing driver.

“Within 15 seconds, a car stopped in front of ours and a man got out with a phone camera, started recording and abusing,” he shared.

“Don’t come to our country and litter you m**”

The video begins with the recorder saying, “You f** A**”.

In the video, the recorder can also be heard confronting the pair, saying, “don’t come to our country and litter you m**”.

The post, which has been widely shared, carried the caption that said, “Why do we put up with the freaking people. Import the third world and become the third world…,” and has amassed about 7.4K Facebook likes.

In the video, Mr A is seen responding, “No no, we are taking it,” before opening the boot of the car to put the cardboard back and apologising.

“Don’t be sorry. Don’t come to our country and litter you m**,” the person filming replies.

Mr A told The Indian Weekender that he does not want the video to spread further and said he is remorseful for his actions.

He also approached Netsafe, after speaking with the Police, regarding the online circulation of the video.

“Netsafe told me that they will not be able to remove all the videos since the video is not against community standards,” Mr A said.

“The video is viral in India as well, Netsafe has only been able to remove a few videos,” he added.

The Indian Weekender has approached Netsafe for an official comment, and this article will be updated once a response is received.

Mr A said the widespread circulation of the footage appeared to be driven by pages seeking engagement and views.

He said he regretted the incident and had issued an apology.

“I want to let the people know if you do something wrong, accept and apologise immediately,” he said.