Anger in community mounts as dairies down shutters in protest

Dairies across Auckland city downed their shutters for a couple of hours to mourn the passing of dairy worker Janak Patel and in solidarity with the long-suffering retail sector.

Indian Weekender readers have been sending in reports and pictures from across Auckland and the country. Like in Auckland where hundreds gathered to protest and hand over a memorandum to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electoral office and in Wellington where dozens congregated outside Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson's office, protestors gathered outside dairies in many parts of the country.

The fact that despite being a Monday, people gathered in such large numbers to show their solidarity demanding stricter laws against offenders in the face of increasing violence, is testimony to how strongly the retail community feels that the government's much touted measures are not working.

Even though the protests were publicly notified through social media, the Prime Minister's electoral office remained locked and no on answered the door bell when a group of community leaders approached to hand over the memorandum.

Protesting community leaders and members were vocal in expressing their opinions and disappointment at the spitralling violence and the perceived lack of action from the government to media that had gathered in large numbers.

The Auckland protest swelled in size enough to block New North road making it hard for attending police to allow traffic to pass.