Nation-wide protests against the Roast Busters and rape culture are being organised for next Saturday with organisers hoping to close Auckland's Queen Street.
The Roast Busters are a group of Auckland youths, understood to be aged 17 and 18, who allegedly had group sex with drunk teenage girls and bragged about it online.
Jade Schuttte and Ash Hilton have started an anti-Roast Busters Facebook page "Roastbusters are Rapists. Put them behind bars" - one of many to have sprung up in the past week - where people are sharing their disgust at the ongoing revelations.
Appearing on Campbell Live, Ms Schutte described the saga as "very disturbing".
"Real men respect women and that's how I see it. There's nothing else you can say about that," she says.
"They can say it's west Auckland but we disagree with that. I have friends in west Auckland who are disgusted by this."
There are growing calls for a shift in focus on rape prevention education too, say the girls.
"Girls mainly get taught how to not get raped, but there's nothing educating people about how to not rape people," says Ms Hilton.
About 28,000 people have signed a petition calling for Prime Minister John Key to "bust" the Roast Busters group and to "take sexual violence seriously."
Over 1600 people have already said they are attending the protests with thousands more expected.
Avondale College, where many of the alleged victims were pupils, has been blasted by angry young people on Facebook.
In an open letter, former students said there was inadequate education at the school around alcohol and issues of sexual consent. Many said they had negative experiences while studying there.
The school issued a statement to the NZ Herald saying it was "saddened and shocked by the incorrect and totally unjustifiable allegation made against the College."
"The College is unable to comment on any specific concerns that have been expressed to it, because this would breach our confidentiality obligations, and possibly identify those that have approached us in confidence," the statement said.
"Avondale College completely rejects any suggestion that we have a permissive culture at the College, or that the College in any way condones; conduct, speech, or behavior that is unacceptable or that encourages offending of any nature against any students or others."
Mr Key and Labour Party leader David Cunliffe have both said they will not appear on a RadioLIVE afternoon show for the rest of the year after the hosts made controversial comments earlier this week.
Willie Jackson and John Tamihere were speaking to a friend of one of the Roast Busters' victims and have been criticised for their line of questioning. Several major sponsors have also pulled out of the station in the backlash.
3 News
source: newshub archive
