A dramatic confrontation at an Outdoors Party rally between a party supporter and a young Asian woman has been condemned by the Race Relations Commissioner as "appalling".
Footage provided to Newshub shows at least three Outdoors Party supporters in an altercation with a lone young Asian woman, with one threatening to "dump her in the water" and telling her to "go back to her own country".
Saturday 6 June the Outdoors Party held a rally in Auckland's Aotea Square. The party's website described it as a way for supporters to share their thoughts by writing in chalk on the pavement.
Participants were encouraged to answer "where they drew the line" on things like 5G, 1080, vaccinations and more.
One of the slogans written said "it's okay to be white" - a phrase which gained popularity from messageboard 4chan as a way to troll "liberals" and is now tied to the alt-right and white supremacy.
Alan Simmons, the co-leader of the party told Newshub the young woman had rubbed out this message.
In footage provided to Newshub, the supporter chased down the younger woman and screams at her to go back to her own country. Newshub has chosen not to identify either woman.
"Get out! Get out! Get out! Go back to your own country," the Outdoor Party supporter yells.
"You're racist and paranoid," the younger woman replies calmly.
Do you know more? - email vitamolyneux@mediaworks.co.nz
"You are racist! You are racist against us New Zealanders, now get out! Look at you rubbing out all of our words - go back to your own country!" The Outdoor Party supporter yelled.
Simmons then tells the younger woman she is "nasty" and that "little girls shouldn't be using language like that."
In another clip posted on Facebook, the Outdoors Party supporter threatens to "King pin [hit]" the younger woman and accuses her of a hate crime.
"You said hate!" the supporter can be heard yelling.
Speaking to Newshub the supporter said she regretted her behaviour, but stands by her claim the younger woman was "racist" and should "go back to her own country".
"We don't want people like that here," she said.
"We need to unite not divide - my partner is brown - all life matters."
The Race Relations Commissioner has slammed the footage, calling the verbal attack "appalling".
"The intimidation shown towards this young woman is appalling and unacceptable," Meng Foon told Newshub.
"Racist bullying must be rejected by all people in New Zealand."
Foon says he encourages "bystanders to be upstanders" - meaning witnesses are encouraged to intervene.
When asked why he did not step in to stop the abusive attack, Simmons said he had intervened to "calm down the situation" and the video was edited, and did not show the whole story.
The Outdoor Party supporter and Simmons told Newshub the footage was edited - but with differing explanations for what had been edited out.
The supporter said the clip had been edited to remove an encounter where the younger woman told her she "hated her because she's white," but Simmons said the unedited footage showed two more violent confrontations between the camera person and the younger woman, which he stepped in to stop.
When asked if he had called the police about the alleged assault he said he "hadn't thought of it".
Both declined to send the additional footage to Newshub with Simmons saying he would "deal with [the story] after it was published."
Simmons said if he had the chance to go back and change the way he responded, he would just "stay well away".
