A man who stopped a man as he swung a shovel at a child’s head after a pro-Palestine rally in Auckland feared the boy could be killed. 

Julian Bravery was walking behind the schoolboy and his family at Aotea Square when he “heard a thud” and saw the child fall to the ground yesterday. 

He watched in disbelief as the man stood over the boy and brought the shovel down on him again. 

Police have said the man they arrested with the shovel had been receiving support from mental health services before the attack. Police are working to establish the events that occurred in the lead-up to this incident and speaking with a number of witnesses. 

Three arrests were made at the protest, attended by “a few thousand”, but police said demonstrations were “mainly peaceful”. 

Bravery, recalling the attack, told the Herald: “I heard a thud and I saw this child go down and this guy standing over him, he raised the shovel again and hit him on the head when the kid was down. 

“After the second blow he raised the shovel up again and I thought there couldn’t be a third one so I just rushed him and grabbed the shovel.” 

Julian Bravery and the injury he received trying to get the shovel off the attacker. 

What followed was a frantic scuffle with Bravery trying to subdue a larger man all while trying to stop him from swinging the shovel. 

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“I was stunned for a moment. My only regret was not moving fast enough to stop that second blow. If I had seen him coming toward him I would have stopped him. 

“I tried to rip the shovel off him but he was too strong. I’m not a small guy but he looked like Mike Tyson compared to me. 

“He was shirtless and he looked like a heavyweight boxer, he was a machine.” 

Bravery said others at the protest saw what was happening and rushed over to help. 

“I couldn’t have done it by myself, this guy was too strong. 

“The most I could do was to stop him from swinging it.” 

Bravery said police arrived quickly and “it took an army of them” to get the man under control. 

“The police had a tough job. They were trying to get him out of there without him getting killed by the angry crowd,” Bravery said. 

“I had the shovel and I was trying to tell them it was the weapon and I was a witness but they were just trying to get him out of there. They did a good job.” 

Bravery was finally able to speak to a police officer and provide details of the attack. 

Bravery said he was taking a day off work today to make a further statement to police and have an x-ray on his hand. 

During the scuffle to get the shovel Bravery was hit on the forehead and was grazed on his arms and wrists. 

“I’m fine, it’s all superficial stuff but I’ll check my finger isn’t broken,” Bravery said. 

Bravery described the attack as “mindless violence of a defenseless child” and said it was “exactly the type of violence I was there protesting against”. 

A family friend of the child, Mohamed Soliman, told RNZ he had been at Starship Hospital, where the boy was taken with serious injuries. 

”The family is in shock, of course. Imagine waking up in the morning just like we’re going to the protest for our brothers and sisters in Gaza, and then something happens to your own son. 

“Of course, that’s something that you wouldn’t expect, especially in New Zealand. 

”Alhamdulillah the child is all good ... he’s doing fine now.” 

Organisers of the event thanked the people who attended the protest and said their thoughts were with the family of the injured boy. 

“We are deeply saddened that a young boy was injured at the end of the protest in Auckland. The young boy remains in the hospital but is currently in stable condition. 

“Our thoughts are with the young boy and his family, and we are committed to providing them with the support they need during this challenging time.” 

Acting Auckland District Commander Superintendent Sunny Patel said a man had been arrested after a child was seriously hurt as he was leaving a protest. 

“We understand this incident has been incredibly distressing and are supporting the victim and their family.” 

Hundreds of people gather in Aotea Square central Auckland to show support of Palestine and the Palestinian people caught amid fighting in Gaza. Photo / Alex Burton 

Patel said the man had been receiving support from mental health services before the attack. 

They were working to establish the events that occurred in the lead-up to this incident and speaking with a number of witnesses. 

Three arrests were made but police said demonstrations were “mainly peaceful”. 

St John confirmed it sent one ambulance and one operations manager and the patient was transported to hospital. 

Last week pro-Palestine protesters covered the lights at Auckland Museum with red and green cellophane to represent Palestine flag. 

The protest was attended by around 100 people, who were encouraged to “bring keffiyehs, flags, cars, posters and voices” in a social media post that went up shortly before the gathering in front of the Auckland Museum. 

The covering of the lights in red and green came after the Auckland Museum illuminated the same lights blue and white in support of Israel on October 15. This drew criticism, with pro-Palestine supporters “blacking out” the museum lights. 

Museum chief executive David Reeves apologised and acknowledged the depth of feeling around the issue. 

Last week a property registered as the Consulate of Israel in Epsom was also the target of an arson attack and sprayed with pro-Palestinian graffiti. 

Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and has a current focus on consumer affairs. 

- Additional reporting RNZ