Posie Parker leaves NZ after tensions at event boil over
‘Go home Posie’ chants spur activist to head to the airport, citing fears for her life after chaos at public event where trans rights supporters turn out in their thousands.
Anti-trans activist KellyJay Keen-Minshull left New Zealand suddenly last night after telling supporters she was frightened for her safety in the country.
Raucous protests and counterprotests over her aborted public event in Auckland have opened fresh debate about the limits of free speech after Keen-Minshull attempted to bring her controversial speaking tour to Aotearoa.
Yesterday morning, KeenMinshull’s Auckland rally saw extended clashes, various skirmishes and the activist doused in juice before being escorted away by police. No arrests were made. Yesterday evening, sources said Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, had checked in for a flight leaving that night.
She refused to confirm those reports when contacted by the Sunday Star-Times, and would not give any information about her travel intentions, saying she did not trust the media.
‘‘I wouldn’t be telling anyone my plans.’’
Earlier, Keen-Minshull told the Star-Times she was ‘‘frightened’’ after she had tomato juice poured on her prior to speaking at her Auckland event, which drew significant crowds in their thousands, mainly consisting of trans rights supporters.
‘‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’’ Keen-Minshull said. ‘‘What a shameful day for New Zealand.’’
On her Twitter account, KeenMinshull said she had feared for her life.
‘‘I genuinely thought if I fell to the floor I would never get up again, my children would lose their mother and my husband would lose his wife. My security saved my life today, no words can express my gratitude.’’
Keen-Minshull had been scheduled to speak at a rally in Wellington today; a press release from a group of supporters later claimed the Wellington event was cancelled but Keen-Minshull also refused to confirm or deny that when contacted by the StarTimes.
In a livestream after the aborted Auckland event, however, she was heard asking whether she would get the same reception in Wellington and whether it was time to pull out of that event.
In Auckland, the chaotic scenes capped off weeks of discourse about the activist’s right to speak her views in public.
Ahead of her appearance, a crowd of thousands, mainly trans rights supporters, gathered in Albert Park where tensions boiled over as she made her way though barricades separating the opposing sides.
Those barricades were quickly overwhelmed and after being surrounded by protesters, KeenMinshull was escorted away, as were her supporters.
A low-key police presence at the start of the rally quickly swelled after the barricades were rushed; as many as 16 police
‘‘Even allowing these people to have platforms and spaces to proliferate that rhetoric is extremely dangerous.’’
Senior law lecturer Dylan Asafoi
officers escorted Keen-Minshull to a waiting police car after her own security detail forced their way through the crowd of protesters, who surrounded her to vent their anger.
Helen King attended the protest to show solidarity with her trans friends and community at large, saying Auckland has sent a strong message to the activist.
‘‘I feel so proud so many people from so many backgrounds came to say we don’t want that in New Zealand.’’
Keen-Minshull is a women’s rights campaigner to some, and an anti-trans activist to others.
She regularly takes aim at transgender people and migrants.
Arriving in NZ earlier this week as part of her ‘Let Women Speak Tour’, she was recently joined by far-right members at an event in Australia where clashes in Melbourne’s streets prompted calls for her to be barred from entering Aotearoa.
On Wednesday, Immigration NZ said she would be allowed into the country, despite Immigration Minister Michael Wood‘s comments about her ‘‘inflammatory, vile and incorrect world views’’.
PM Chris Hipkins also weighed in, saying he condemned people who abused their right to freedom of speech to ‘‘create division’’.
While some claim that opposition to Keen-Minshull’s events is denying the right of free speech, one expert believes that shutting her down is the only acceptable response.
Senior law lecturer Dylan Asafoi says the proliferation of harmful rhetoric under the guise of free speech emboldens hatred and has led to transphobic laws overseas.
‘‘Even allowing these people to have platforms and spaces to proliferate that rhetoric is extremely dangerous.
‘‘Any harm in limiting their speech is merely hypothetical and largely outweighed by the real harm and risks to the marginalised communities they actively target.’’
Asafoi says the free speech argument tends to prioritise activists who come from privileged backgrounds over minority communities.
‘‘Do we want to take a stand and protect marginalised people . . . or are we willing to just provide platforms under this rhetoric of free speech that doesn’t have a lot of substance?’’
Following yesterday’s rally, the Free Speech Union condemned the ‘‘threats of violence and intimidation,’’ by some counter-protesters and accused police of not protecting the activist’s right to speak.
‘‘Police need to front up and explain why they aren’t doing their jobs and demonstrate their commitment to allowing New Zealander’s to exercise their human rights by hearing from people with controversial views.’’
Also criticising police was the group Speak Up for Women, saying in a statement it would formally complain about a lack of action to ‘‘prevent violence in what was clearly an increasingly volatile situation’’.
ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said she was saddened by the events in Albert Park.
‘‘In a civilised country, you counter ideas you don’t like with more speech and debate, not violence and intimidation.
‘‘Ironically, the group who complained they were going to be the victims of violence ended up being the violent ones.’’
Police said no arrests had been made, and reporters at the scene observed violent shoving from both sides.
In a statement, a police spokesperson said the role of police at events like the Keen-Minshull rally was to ensure safety and uphold the law, ‘‘while recognising the lawful right to protest’’.
‘‘Police were at Albert Park this morning monitoring the event and the counter-protest.
‘‘As soon as it became clear there was a potential safety risk to the event speaker, she was escorted from the area by police staff.’’