Real estate agent Raj Singh says he has been experienced verbal racist abuse
An Indian-New Zealand real estate agent has spoken out after years of targeted harassment by a neighbour, including eggs thrown at his cars, rubbish dumped outside his home and repeated racist abuse.Raj Singh said the attacks began in 2018 and has continued ever since, leaving his family distressed and fearful, particularly when his children were still living at home.According to the NZ Herald, Singh said a person urinated on his fence after previously being trespassed from his property. Singh also said the individual had banged on his fence so forcefully on one occasion that it nearly broke.The person was convicted of disorderly behaviour in 2020. Singh said he had made multiple complaints over the years, but the harassment resumed again in March after a quiet period.According to Singh, the most recent incidents included verbal abuse targeting his ethnicity. He said the remarks included: “f*** India”, “f*** Indians”, “I hate Indians” and “I hate you all”.Earlier this month, Singh reported another instance of verbal abuse to police. Officers were unable to locate the person when they arrived. Manukau central area commander Inspector Adam Pyne said, “Police inquiries are still ongoing, and we intend on speaking with the [person] further,” adding, “No one in the community should have to experience this verbal abuse.” Police also confirmed they would take action if the individual breached Singh’s trespass order.Singh has lived in New Zealand for nearly four decades and also serves as a Justice of the Peace. He said the situation has affected his family. He said his children were “very scared and stressed” during the worst of the harassment and said, “My family and I have lived in New Zealand for almost four decades – this is our home.He added that he “took racial discrimination and racist abuse extremely seriously” and has reported his experiences to the Human Rights Commission.The case comes amid growing concern about racially motivated incidents in New Zealand. In December, a group known as True Patriots of New Zealand disrupted Sikh religious parades in South Auckland. Earlier this year, RNZ reported police hate crime data showing people of South Asian descent were the most frequently targeted group for racial abuse.Auckland University of Technology social sciences professor Camille Nakhid said racial tensions tend to rise during election periods, especially for Indian communities. She added: “You want to get rid of racism, you have to get rid of our colonised mentality.”
