Real estate agent Raj Singh says he was subjected to verbal racist abuse
An Indian-New Zealand real estate agent has spoken out after years of targeted harassment by a neighbour, including eggs being thrown at his cars, litter outside his home and repeated racist abuse.Raj Singh said the attacks began in 2018 and have continued since then, leaving his family sad and afraid, especially when his children were still living at home.According to the NZ Herald, Singh said someone had urinated on his fence after his property had previously been trespassed. Singh also said that on one occasion the person hit his fence so hard that it almost broke.The person was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2020. Singh said he filed multiple complaints over the years, but the harassment resumed again in March after a period of calm.According to Singh, recent incidents included verbal abuse targeting his race. He said the statements included: “f*** India”, “f*** Indians”, “I hate Indians” and “I hate all of you”.Earlier this month, Singh reported another case of verbal abuse to police. Officers were unable to locate the person when they arrived. “Police investigations are still ongoing and we intend to speak with police,” Inspector Adam Payne, Central Manukau Commander, said. [person] Moreover, he added: “No one in society should be subjected to this verbal abuse.”
Police also confirmed that they will take action if the person violates Singh’s trespassing order.Singh has lived in New Zealand for nearly four decades and also works as a justice of the peace. He said the situation affected his family. He said his children were “very frightened and stressed” during the worst of the harassment. He said: “My family and I have lived in New Zealand for almost four decades – this is our home.He added that he “takes racial discrimination and racist abuse very seriously” and has reported his experience to the Human Rights Commission.The case comes amid growing concern about racially motivated incidents in New Zealand. In December, a group known as the True Patriots of New Zealand disrupted Sikh religious marches in South Auckland. Earlier this year, RNZ reported that police data on hate crimes showed people of South Asian descent were the group most targeted for racist abuse.Racial tensions tend to rise during election periods, especially for Indian communities, said Kamil Naked, a social sciences professor at Auckland University of Technology. She added: “If you want to get rid of racism, you have to get rid of our colonial mentality.”
