Around 100 small business owners demonstrated in Christchurch on Sunday, 4 December, and held a march, demanding more action against crime as part of a three-city protest.
The protest was called by the Dairy and Business Owners Group and other organisations in solidarity with dairy worker Janak Patel, who was killed in an aggravated robbery on November 23 in Sandringham.
Similar protests were organised in Auckland and Hamilton too.
The women and children of the business owners also joined the protest which began around 2 pm on Cathedral Square. A one-minute silence was observed for the late Janak Patel.
The gathering was then addressed by some business owners who expressed anguish over rising retail crime.
Talking to Indian Weekender, Balvant Shivlal, one of the organisers of the Christchurch protest march, said: "We have assembled today to highlight the plight of small business owners who are concerned due to an increase in the number of crimes targeting their businesses. The situation is worsening, causing tremendous mental stress and financial distress. And this could lead to a huge concern for the safety and security of the whole New Zealand.”
According to Hardeep Singh, another well-known Christchurch businessman, "The business community is increasingly angry and frustrated about the government's proposed laws."
Nilay, a store owner who owns a few convenience stores in the city, said, "The government seems to be the least concerned about it. They keep repeating that the number of crimes has come down but the reality on the ground is quite different. We always thought that NZ was one of the safest countries but things have changed rapidly, with multiple crimes being reported every single day. Enough is enough! We want the government to ensure our safety. We also want the business community to unite irrespective of ethnic background. We need to be united.”
Vinod Manu, president of the Christchurch Indian Association and owner of a convenience store in Sumner, said, "There is a lot at stake, including many livelihoods. The government must think out of the box rather than just throwing money at the problem.”
Christchurch Multicultural Council and Bhartiya Samaj Canterbury President Surinder Tandon, who supports Dairy and Business Owners Group in Christchurch, also addressed the gathering and said, “The situation is very sad. The problem seems to have grown into a national one rather than a regional one. While extra funding is welcome, stricter laws are the need of the hour to discourage offenders. We want immediate effective prevention and protection measures to control the rising crime. We do not want any more Janak Patels.”
Amongst the protesters was Jane, a dairy owner of Chinese origin, who shared her experience of facing an aggravated robbery 18 months ago.
Another protester Sangeet Patel is a dairy owner who has been the victim of four attacks in the span of a few months. Few teenagers, the youngest of whom was identified as 10 years old, armed with spanners broke into the shop in August.
ACT Party MP Toni Severin was the only one from the political side to be present at the protest lending her support.
Commenting on the situation, Severin told Indian Weekender, “This has been going on for many, many months, and it now has claimed a life. Many of the small business owners live on these properties with their family, and their children, and there’s a huge concern for their safety… It's really good to see people coming together, and I think not just an ethnic community but all of NZ needs to be together. These robberies are happening every day and the situation is worsening. We don’t just need funds. We need to identify the perpetrators and we need to get them before the courts.”
Protesters then walked to the Bridge of Remembrance holding placards and banners displaying 'Enough is Enough', 'Law is too lenient', 'We want justice', among many others.
Support for the march was apparent even from passersby.