A 17-year-old Māori-Pasifika youth has returned to Aotearoa following an attack on the football field from an opposing player’s parents.
Te Arawa descendant Aston Fraser who was living in Australia at the time of the attack was rushed by an opposing player’s mother and was kicked and punched by the woman during a gridiron game.
Fraser’s father, Gareth, said this was a serious assault and more needed to be down to ensure his son was given justice.
“Full-grown parents rushing in and punching my child and these same parents when they’re on the ground pulling him, punching him and kicking him on the ground. I was enraged, I was furious. How could grown adults rush on to the field and hit a child,” he said.
Aston was assaulted on the gridiron pitch on December 1.
He is a league player and was originally in Australia to play for the Melbourne Storm development squad but, at the time of the attack, was playing gridiron.
Gareth wanted the police to seriously look into the attack.
“Aston and his aunty went to the Geelong police station straight after the event and they lodged a formal complaint and they sought protection as well. But, when they phoned up this Monday gone, the Victoria police said that there had been nothing on file.”
However, Gareth said he understood that this wasn’t the first incident that the attackers had caused at this kind of event.
“They’ve been banned from basketball in Victoria, they’ve been banned from rugby in Victoria as well. So, it’s not a one-off case, but I don’t think anyone has stood up to them because they’re quite intimidating and threatening.”
The events unfolded due to coarse language being thrown at Aston from the spectator and by the end of the game, annoyed, he spoke up. Here is the moment where the spectator made a beeline for Aston, filled with rage.
“As an adult you should have the restraint to be able to go ‘actually I need to pull myself out of this equation and go for a walk’. This did not take place here. This mum was so enraged that she took it on herself to sprint halfway across the field, all the way towards my son and punch him in the back of the head multiple times.
“Polynesians, traditionally we’re happy people. But, as soon as something like a game comes into play we turn into the ugliest people.”
The Fraser family wants to see justice for their son and have the spectator charged appropriately for her actions.
“My son had been issued multiple death threats. They [Victoria Police] were aware and nothing had been done. I take this very seriously.”
Te Ao Māori News has reached out to Victoria Police for an update on the case but they are yet to respond.
To be continued
