Water in a central Auckland fountain was dyed red early this morning in what appeared to be a protest coinciding with Anzac Day.
The city’s deputy mayor Desley Simpson posted photos of the well-known fountain in Mission Bay on Facebook.
She said the fountain was only cleaned yesterday and would be cleaned today again.
“I respect the right for peaceful protest. What I don’t respect or condone is wilful damage of public property,” Simpson wrote in her post.
Posters on the fountain protested the violence in Gaza, saying “18 months of genocide / blood on their hands” and called for a ceasefire, with an Anzac poppy on the bottom of the paper.
Police said they received a report from someone who was at the fountain around 5am to set up for the Anzac service, who saw people near the fountain.
The police said the report was being assessed.
Earlier today, Australian police and politicians condemned far-right hecklers who booed Indigenous Australians at Melbourne’s Anzac Day dawn service.
rnz.co.nz