Racial brawl involving Somalis, Maori and pakeha youths in New Zealand

Tane Aikman:

Both sides of the fight involving Somalis, and Maori and pakeha youths partying at a Dey St flat, say the other started it. Somali youths told the Waikato Times yesterday people at the party shouted racist insults and threw bottles.

Abdi Salad said he went to see what the matter was.

"I was the first one to go there and I was going to ask them what happened. Just talk to them. But when they saw a lot of them (the other Somalis) they started slinging bottles."

The house in front of the flat was caught in the clash, with several windows damaged, the rear windows of two cars shattered and part of the front fence kicked in.

According to the woman who lives there, the damage was caused by the Somalis.

Mr Salad and several others apologised for the damage. "We are really sorry for the victim's house but we did not have a choice - we thought it was the other guys' house."

The four teenagers holding the party accused the Somalis of pulling out knives, and throwing a tyre iron and the flat's letterbox at people.

The Somalis say one of their group was hit by a bottle and had to have seven stitches on his head. Another was cut on his arm, which they said was from a knife, and two windows of his car were smashed and a door dented.

The Somalis said they often suffered racist abuse, especially from Maori.

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