Source: Radio New Zealand
The graffiti appeared on a footbridge over the Maitai River, but was painted over an hour after the council was alerted to its presence. File picture. RNZ / Tracy Neal
Nelson City Council and the New Zealand Jewish Council have condemned anti-Semitic behaviour, after hate speech targeting Jewish people was graffitied on a footbridge over the Maitai River.
The council was alerted to the graffiti shortly before midday on Thursday, with contractors sent out within the hour and the graffiti painted over by 2pm.
Council’s executive directory of delivery Alec Louverdis said the behaviour was unacceptable and there was no place for anti-Semitic graffiti in Nelson.
The Jewish Council said the graffiti was deeply concerning.
President Juliet Moses said the threat was not abstract, but a direct call for violence, and anti-Semitic rhetoric and incidents had been rising both in New Zealand and internationally.
Recent data released by the council shows there were 143 anti-Semitic incidents here in 2025 which included assaults, threats, damage to Jewish sites, and harassment targeting individuals in their homes.
It comes in the same week that a man was arrested after graffiti inciting racial violence was found in Papatoetoe, Auckland.
A 61-year-old was charged with offensive behaviour and wilful damage, and was released on bail after appearing in Manukau District Court on Thursday.
A separate piece of graffiti carrying an identical message was found inside a public toilet in another Auckland suburb, Royal Oak, on Wednesday.
Moses said the council expressed solidarity with the Indian community and reiterated that hatred directed at any group was a threat to all.
“New Zealanders have a shared responsibility to reject hatred in all its forms,” Moses said. “We must be clear that there is no place in our society for messages that dehumanise or call for harm against any community.”
The New Zealand Jewish Council said it’s committed to supporting a society in which all people can live safely and freely express their identity, and calls on leaders and the public alike to speak out against all forms of hate.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
