Murray Weight and his daughter Jessica were covered in glass when Phil Raffills smashed a window of their truck.
 
 

                 Glass flies in water clash

                 08.05.2000 - By TONY WALL

                 A water protest outside the home of Auckland City Councillor Phil Raffills turned ugly yesterday when the cancer-afflicted
                 councillor smashed a window on the group's fire truck.

                Four Water Pressure Group protesters set up outside Mr Raffills' Hillsborough home in mid-afternoon and
                began shouting their concerns about wastewater charges through a loud speaker.
                Earlier in the day they had targeted the home of Mayor Christine Fletcher.

                 Mr Raffills, an unsuccessful National Party list candidate at the last election who is to undergo a bone-marrow
                 transplant next month, was woken by the noise.

                 He confronted the group and smashed a side window on  the fire truck with a water bottle, showering protesters
                 and a small child with glass. Protester Jim Gladwin suffered cuts and bruises to an elbow and told police who arrived
                 that he wanted assault and wilful-damage charges laid.

                 Four police officers tried for about two hours to resolve the situation amicably, but the protesters insisted they
                 wanted to press charges.
                No arrests had been made last night and an Auckland police spokesman said a decision on charges would be
                 left to staff at the Avondale station.

                 It is understood that, in addition to possible charges against Mr Raffills, police will consider whether the
                 protesters committed a breach of the peace or harassment offences.

                 Protester Penny Bright said Mr Raffills' actions were over the top and she would have expected better of a
                 school principal and city councillor. "It's not a good  look."

                 Asked whether she thought it was fair to be targeting the home of a man battling cancer on a Sunday, she
                 said: "He was well enough to be at a community board  meeting the other night. "

                 Protester Murray Weight said Mr Raffills' actions had terrified his 3-year-old daughter. He was so upset he
                 tried to chase Mr Raffills down his driveway, but was hampered by his artificial leg.

                 Mr Raffills, the principal of Avondale College, told the media after police had interviewed him for over an hour
                 that the protesters were "animals" and he opposed their cause and their methods.

                 They had hurled personal insults over the loudspeaker, and had previously harassed him at council meetings,
                 once telling him to "go home and die." They had also turned off his water.

                He said he was thinking of his family's protection when he approached the fire truck. His intention was to get
                the protesters to leave his family alone when he "tapped" on the window with the bottle, not to cause damage.
                 "Unfortunately it broke." He did not realise a small child was inside, he said.

                Mr Raffills has been a controversial public figure, supporting bulk-funding as the principal of New
                 Zealand's biggest school and opposing the Hero parade as a right-wing city councillor.

               The Water Pressure Group, which opposes wastewater charges and privatisation of water supply, has had an
                 ongoing battle with Metrowater.

                In January, Metrowater caused controversy when it launched a series of surprise raids on properties of
                 protesters who had boycotted wastewater fees, digging up mains and removing their pipes.