Kaitaia's contribution to demonstrations and marches around the country on Saturday, calling for an end to violence in Gaza and Israel, was a small, convivial gathering of local people calling for peace, and while it attracted interest from a number Saturday morning market-goers, it drew a vitriolic response from two individuals.
Shortly after the Northland Age left a man reportedly abused the group with what one described as extremely foul language and very threatening, aggressive gestures.
"Apart from asking him to refrain from such language because of women present, we did not speak to him," she said.
"He left after some minutes of extreme anti-semitic and surprisingly racist comments. However, he returned in a car some 30 minutes later with another man and they both then continued with their threatening, anti-semitic, racist shouting, using the same obscene language and gestures. This concerned whose land it was, and comments re Adolf Hitler.
"The men in our group, and a woman from another stall, tried to unsuccessfully de-escalate the situation. Thanks to members of the public who intervened, the men were then forced back into their car and they left. The police were called but declined to attend." (See letters, page 7).
