Soldiers stay calm as man ‘tries to incite a fight’ on Poppy Day
Scott Yeoman
A soldier collecting donations for Poppy Day has been accosted by a man in Tauranga’s Red Square.
The incident on Spring St in the CBD on Friday, captured on video, showed a man yelling at one of three soldiers in uniform, with his fingers in the soldier’s face.
One man who worked in the area, but did not want to be identified, said the man was “going head-to-head, toe-totoe” with soldiers “doing their bit for the Anzacs”.
“He was trying to incite a fight . . . and the military guys wouldn’t take the bait.”
The witness said a member of the public told the man to leave the soldiers alone.
The three soldiers remain composed in the video. One of them can be heard saying, “Mate, just calm down eh”.
A Defence Force spokesman said the altercation was not typical of the response its servicemen and women received while collecting donations on Poppy Day.
“People have a right to voice their opinion, as long as it’s done in a peaceful manner.
“We are pleased that in this situation the person’s anger was defused by the calmness displayed by the soldier”.
The spokesman said the Defence Force was proud to collect in support of “the fantastic work done for the veteran community by the RSA”.
Meagan Holmes, Tauranga City Council’s manager of community development, said the council received a complaint in relation to the altercation.
Police said they responded but the man had moved away.
Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair, Western Bay of Plenty prevention manager, said police were aware of concerns in the area. The CBD worker who saw Friday’s altercation said issues involving homeless people in Red Square had become worse over the past three months, with people urinating in public, causing altercations with the public, drinking, sleeping in doorways and leaving their belongings behind.
— Bay of Plenty Times