Chemists targeted in vax attack
ALevin protest group spreading anti-Covid vaccination propaganda has distanced itself from vandalism targeting local chemists. Anti-vaccination messages were sprayed on shop windows of three Levin pharmacies some time on Friday night with black spray paint.
Levin protester and Stand In The Park supporter Robert Atack said although the group had staged standins at the Village Green since October last year, targeting everything from 1080 to Covid-19 vaccinations and Oranga Tamariki, the group had nothing to do with the vandalism of the pharmacies in Levin.
“We only found out about it on Saturday morning,” he said.
“Any publicity is good publicity, but that’s not us and is turning people against us.”
Unichem Pharmacy, Tararua Pharmacy and Steeds Pharmacy were all targeted by the anti-vaccination vandals.
Staff arrived at work to find shop windows had been tagged. It cost the businesses money and time to remove.
Steeds Pharmacy manager Ali Alwash said they had never been targeted before and had to use a mixture of cleaning products to remove the graffiti.
“It is annoying,” he said.
The content of each message was a slur against the Covid-19 vaccination programme, which would soon be rolled out to the entire population after initially concentrating on
the elderly and at-risk.
Atack, who participated in an antivaccination protest outside the Beehive dressed as the Grim Reaper
recently, said they would continue to meet at the Village Green in Levin each week with home-made protest placards on the grass.
The group had numbered as many as 30.
“We try to be there every weekend,” he said.