A 60-year-old Chinese man was attacked on Tuesday afternoon in Christchurch city centre.
According to the victim, Sammy Zhu, a press photographer working for a Christchurch-based Chinese newspaper, the attacker was a Kiwi in his 20s who looked tall and strong. Zhu’s left eye was seriously injured, his face covered with blood, and he was completely shocked by the incident.
The aim of the attack is unclear, and the case is under police investigation who said they are presently trying to locate the attacker.
At about 4:30pm on Tuesday, after Mr Zhu finished taking photographs near the Riverside Market to report the city scene on the first day of the COVID-19 Alert Level 3 when businesses were partially open, a passerby suddenly attacked him from behind and ran away after the assault.
“I even greeted him when I passed by before he attacked me. It was all very sudden,” Mr Zhu said.
Mr Zhu was grateful for a Kiwi cyclist who came to his assistance and called the ambulance which immediately took him to hospital.
A Kiwi cyclist came to his assistance and called the ambulance
Meanwhile on Wednesday afternoon, an elderly east-Asian man was assaulted in a hate crime in Lynfield, Auckland. The man was beaten badly. Police have caught the attacker but the victim left the scene and cannot be found.
Several assaults and name-calling towards Chinese people have been reported across the country which has shocked the Chinese community.
