Protesters target dealership

A dealership in Wellington has been left with a clean-up operation after protesters sprayed its buildings with red paint and then glued themselves to the footpath outside.

Police said they arrested three people and were considering charges after the action by supporters of Restore Passenger Rail at Gazley Motor Group’s showroom on Cambridge Terrace.

A member of staff was also allegedly covered with paint during the incident at about 1.30pm on September 14, which attracted a heavy police presence.

The campaigners, who want the government to bring back passenger rail nationwide and make local public transport free, say the protest was because “this election we need to choose a liveable future over luxury emissions”.

Myles Gazley, managing director of Gazley Motors, told the NZ Herald the protesters had covered his brother Oliver, who is group dealer principal, from “head to toe” in paint when he went out to see why they were spraying the building.

Gazley said he did not understand why their business had been targeted by the protest group given “half the cars are electric”.

The company’s website says it sells Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Ram models, along with an assortment of exotic cars at the Cambridge Terrace site.