A female Japanese student has been subjected to a shocking attack in in Christchurch over the easter weekend.
The assault, which took place on Lincoln Road late Sunday night, was perpetrated by two people who made allegedly racist remarks to the young woman. They then tried to set their two dogs on her. Fortunately a passer-by came to her aid and serious injury was avoided, she suffered light scratches for which she received hospital attention.
According to a news report a 25 year old male and an 18 year old female were arrested and bailed in connection with the attack, their dogs have been seized.
We’ve often written about racist attacks in New Zealand, a good many of which seem to occur in Christchurch, and the way in which the country markets itself as a safe destination for the lucrative international student market.
Christchurch’s popularity with foreign students is already in decline as a result of the earthquakes and the city and can ill-afford to suffer any further damage to its reputation abroad. Time to send a tough message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated, otherwise incidents like these will become all too frequent.
You may also be interested in our other blogs:
Japanese students attacked at Christchurch bus stop (February 2010)
There’s a report in today’s The Press, detailed on Stuff.co.nz telling the shocking story of how two Asian students were subjected to aggression and an unprovoked attack by a gang of skinheads in Christchurch (watch the video report here)
Two Asian students, said to be Japanese nationals, were sitting at the bus stop outside of The Palms shopping mall in Christchurch yesterday evening at 6.30pm when a group of 4 skinheads approached them. A witness saw the group of 4 males, all shirtless and wearing camouflage gear, walk up to the 2 students…more
Racist street attacks in Christchurch (August 2010)
“Cantebury’s Star newspaper is reporting today on two racist street attacks that have taken place in Christchurch in the past few days.
The first incident involved a young mother and her children as she was putting them in her car and the second a man who was beaten by a skinhead as he left a bottle store…”more
Everyday race hate ‘rife’ in Christchurch (September 2009)
“An attack on a Thai girl, who was beaten up by fellow pupils on a bus, is part of everyday “race hate” in Christchurch, a homestay parent says.
Paul Stratford said the Avonside Girls’ High School pupil arrived at his house distressed and covered in blood after being beaten up on the bus after school on Monday…more
The abuse of international students (April 2010)
“…with students being worth so much you’d think they’d be well looked after in New Zealand wouldn’t you and that they’d return home with glowing accounts of their wonderful sojourn, encouraging family and friends to emigrate or holiday in New Zealand. You may be disturbed to hear that for many students the reality is very different.
The message was left by Annie who responded to our blog post “New Zealand is turning into a really racist country.” She worked with international students in New Zealand and was deeply ashamed by the treatment they received:
“I worked with international students a few years ago and some of the experiences of my students really opened my eyes to an underbelly of New Zealand society I had never encountered. Quite frankly, it made me deeply ashamed.
There were the stories of random attacks on teenage boys for no other reason than they were Asian, or on teenage girls being elbowed, bullied, shouted out, sexually assaulted and told to go home, get off the bus, there’s the airport etc and those were just some of them…”more
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E2NZ.org 
I note that she is not sorry for what she did.
She “regrets” having done that, “for the sake of my dogs”.
This is a “sorry YOU got offended” message, not “I am sorry for what I did”.
It certainly approaches what can be considered, psychopathic behaviour.
After all – the offending happened not once, but TWICE. In the same DAY!
“It was just one of those nights that I was just a bit too intoxicated. I know it was a pretty bad thing I did,”
Sometimes, people get drunk so that they have an excuse when committing a crime.
And lady, you did pretty bad thingS. Let me repeat: setting your dogs on immigrants, TWICE in the same day.
She’s saying “for the sake of my dogs”, so she’s one of those low-lifes who is not sorry for the crime, but sorry for being caught and for (risking) having her dogs destroyed. I’m sure when she’s out it will be a matter of time for her next racist offence.
“Just one of those nights that I was just a bit too intoxicated…”, another drunken drop-out kiwi (at just 18 and already a hardened alcoholic), with that ethic and she’s still surprised that employers prefer the immigrants??
Pathetic
this is the woman in question:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10758406
Update to that case:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10758406
“A woman who set her dog on two people in drunken, racially motivated attacks says she was “trying to make a statement” on immigrants who she claimed were taking the jobs of New Zealanders.
Phillipa Ann Parker, 18, says she regrets what she did to her Asian victims “for the sake of my dogs and everything like that”. “It was just one of those nights that I was just a bit too intoxicated. I know it was a pretty bad thing I did,” she said.”
…
“”It was kind of like I was trying to make a statement, because I do a lot of factory work and every factory that I have ever worked in there has been more immigrants than there has been Kiwis,” she said.”
So, immigrants have to have a better work ethic to get noticed by employers,
but at the same time get the bash from the wider society around them which doesn’t want them to integrate?
Two things come to mind:
“Tall poppy syndrome” and
“We want your money – we don’t want YOU”.
I once read a study about the happiness of Japanese students being associated with how well they succeeded in the academic environment. This would be no surprise to anyone who has read anything about Japanese culture. In New Zealand, the emphasis is on sports, so the ones good at sports are the ones who are highly valued. Being academically able counts for very little. So not only would they have to cope with the foreign language and culture shock (Japanese culture, polite and hierarchical, New Zealand rude and tall poppy) but also with their core self-concept being entirely devalued here. Not to mention the paranoia about “Asians taking over”. Some do manage to adjust, but others do not. Asians in New Zealand are too often viewed in terms of the “Yellow Horde” model. “They are taking over our country with their money and insane work ethic and we are surrounded by them”, etc. The general level of anxiety on the part of the population about this matter is taken out on individuals, at the individual level.