Today afternoon saw hundreds of people, including small business owners, community leaders and politicians rallying in Auckland’s CBD. The protest was to show their support against the slaying of dairy worker Janak Patel and demand that the government legislate stricter laws to deal with the increasing crime in NZ.
Patel was tragically stabbed to death outside the Rose Cottage Superette on Fowlds Avenue in Sandringham on November 23.
The protesters gathered outside Britomart station at around 2 pm, and then at 2:30 pm, started their march towards Aotea Square.
The protesters made sure not to disrupt the businesses on Queen Street as they walked. They held placards and banners such as 'Enough is Enough', 'Law is too lenient', 'We want justice', and Change the law…stop the crime', among many others.
Even the passers-by were seen showing their support for the march.
Major political parties except for Labour were well represented at the protest – the ACT Party leader David Seymour and deputy leader Brooke van Velden were present as were the National Party’s police spokesperson Mark Mitchell and Ethnic Communities spokesperson Melissa Lee Police along with former MPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Parmjeet Parmar. Former NZ First MP Mahesh Bindra was also seen lending his support.
Community leaders who participated included Dairy and Business Owners Group chairman Sunny Kaushal, Waitakere Indian Association President Sunil Kaushal, NZ Sikh Games president Daljeet Singh Sidhu, Narinder Singla and Navtej Randhawa, among others.
Once the protesters reached Aotea Square, there were speeches by community leaders and politicians that reflected the ongoing anger and frustration among the community regarding the increasing crime situation in NZ. The message that everyone put across was that we want a safe NZ and for our communities to sleep in peace rather than fear.
Protests were also held on Wairere Drive in Hamilton and Cathedral Square in Christchurch.