Cr shot at
Stuff reports:
A gun has been fired at the distinctive orange ute of a controversial New Plymouth councillor, leaving it pock-marked, as the Māori wards debate begins to heat up in the city again.
Murray Chong campaigned against the introduction of a Māori ward and on Tuesday abstained on a vote on whether or not the council should retain its Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa Māori Ward.
Fighting back tears, Chong told a two-thirds full council chamber “don’t shoot the messenger” before saying that he would not be fronting any resistance to a Māori ward next year because he feared for his safety.
This is appalling that a Councillor feels they can’t safely speak on an issue.
“I’m now scared. I’ve had my life threatened several times in letters. I now can’t walk by myself at night because I’ve been told I will be king-hit and I’ll wake up in a hospital. I’ve had people say they will grab my dog, chop it up into quarters and leave it on my doorstep. I’ve had my daughter hassled.”
Chong said he was used to people yelling obscenities at his house as they drove past, but last week “something even more disgusting [happened]”.
“I don’t even want to say it. It’s a whole other level and now I’m really worried,” he said without elaborating .
So this is more than a few anonymous posters on social media. I hope he has gone to the Police.
During a break, he told RNZ his ute had been hit by a single shot fired at it while parked outside his house on Thursday night.
“It was just a drive-by on my property and the police are looking at that, but it’s another level. I get abused by people driving by. Most people know where I am on a main road. I’m quite used to that but this is a whole other level.
“It was only a slug gun, but it’s still a firearm and it definitely left marks.”
Mayor Neil Holdom said he had seen evidence the Chong’s vehicle had been shot at.
This is the inevitable outcome of an issue becoming so inflamed that rather than having a debate on the pros and cons on race based seats, you have cries of genocide.