A group calling itself Tamaki for Palestine said the paint symbolised blood on US and New Zealand officials' hands following the death of thousands of people in Gaza. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
A pro-Palestinian group says it "applauds" vandals who attacked the US embassy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade office in Auckland.
The group Tāmaki for Palestine has claimed responsibility for splashing buildings with red paint and tagging them with the words "ceasefire now".
They said the paint represented "thousands of Palestinian men, women and children killed by Israel over the past 37 days and before".
But locals and Jewish representatives said the act was pointless and went too far.
"It will change nothing," said one man. "Creates damage, bit of fun for the people who did it. No change at all. Want to help the people in Gaza? Go there and help them."
"I get that people are upset about what's going on," one woman said. "I don't know what benefit [the vandalism] is gonna have to them."
"It is a minor inconvenience compared to the suffering over there" - John Minto of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
But John Minto, national chair of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, said it was an effective way to get a point across.
"In terms of the genocidal slaughter of civilians in Gaza which is happening at the moment, it is a minor inconvenience compared to the suffering over there".
His group had no involvement in the vandalism, but he said he fully understood the motivation behind Tāmaki for Palestine doing it.
"I applaud the people for trying to raise the issue in a way that says, 'We must value Palestinian lives as much as we value any other lives.'
"Unfortunately our government isn't doing that."
The New Zealand government had not outwardly condemned Israel's actions, something Minto criticised. He said it was a bigger issue than a "few splashes of red paint on the US consulate".
John Minto. Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
"What we should be talking about is, why is the US and why is New Zealand remaining absolutely silent in the face of this genocide which is playing out before our eyes?"
Spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council, Juliet Moses, thought the vandalism simply went too far.
"It's certainly disturbing. Protest, of course, against Israel is completely legitimate," she said, "but of course, it is illegal to deface property."
She said what was much more hurtful to the community was the swastika graffitied on the statue of Jewish former Auckland mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson on the weekend.
"Defacing a statue of a Jewish man - who also encountered antisemitism during his life - with a swastika is extremely upsetting. It's a desecration of his legacy and is yet another threat against the Jewish community."
Moses said someone needed to speak out about the kind of hurtful messages that were being spread during the Gaza conflict.
"There really needs to be someone who says, very strongly, that protest is fine, but threats and incitement and this kind of escalating civil unrest is not okay."
Tony Kan, president of New Zealand Friends of Israel, said it supported freedom of speech, but vandalism and hate speech took the protests too far.
"When you start vandalising things and drifting into hate speech then you cross a line… and clearly we have laws against that kind of stuff."
Justice for Palestine spokesperson Samira Zaiton said the NZ government was complicit for not calling a ceasefire.
"Why is our press interested in spilling paint on a government building, when the Israeli government is spilling the blood of thousands of Palestinian children?
"Listen to the thousands of people in Aotearoa who are peacefully protesting for justice and peace."
Red paint dripping down the doors of the United States consulate and Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
The US supported the right of people to voice their opinion through peaceful protest, but civil protests "do not include vandalising property", a United States embassy spokesperson said.
"As we stand with the people and government of Israel, we also stand with Palestinian civilians."
They said the US recognised "the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and we support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike", reiterating US President Joe Biden's comments.
"We know the humanitarian situation is urgent, and we continue to focus on addressing the humanitarian needs of civilians in dire need.
Quoting US Secretary Antony Blinken, the spokesperson said: "Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza... aligns with our nation's most deeply held principles, including our belief that every civilian life is equally valuable and equally worthy of protection - no matter what his or her nationality, ethnicity, age, gender or faith. A civilian is a civilian is a civilian."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to comment.
One person has been arrested in connection with the vandalism and will appear in Auckland District Court charged with wilful damage.
Tāmaki for Palestine declined any further comment about the arrest.