I came, I saw, I chundered - toga parade turns into drunken rampage
9:22AM Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
Beer-drinking students cavort on George St during their annual toga parade. Photo / Otago Daily Times
About 2000 drunken participants and onlookers at the Otago University Students Association annual toga parade smashed shop and car windows and hurled rubbish bags in Dunedin's main street last night.
The participants, some of whom were left bloodied by the action, were taking part in the annual four-block march on George St to the Octagon, in the city centre.
After the parade, George St was littered with broken glass, vomit, broken tables, smashed signs and damaged cars.
The students' behaviour was fuelled by residents living in apartments on the parade route, who threw eggs at them as they passed on the street below.
One participant said the students were going to "tear the city up".
George St bar worker and student Erica Gold helped clean egg off shop windows after the parade, and was horrified at the destruction.
"This is just taking it way too far. We shouldn't have to take it, just look at the streets."
Dunedin City Councillor Dave Cull was at a wine-tasting on the main street, and saw the aftermath.
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"Why should we tolerate this here? I don't think there would be anywhere that this would be tolerated."
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES