Sue Grey: Spreading Rumours has become ‘moral duty’
way to the Supreme Court, then pleaded poverty, and dissolved itself.
(As an aside, the same group of people were behind the Nga¯ Kaitiaki Tuku Iho court case against the vaccine rollout, after forming a new incorporated society, including board member Alan Simmons and having its legal documents witnessed by – you guessed it – Sue Grey. Group chair Christopher St Johanser last week told the Star-Times it had ‘‘plenty of money’’ for further legal action, and that Grey charged them reduced fees. Grey told the Star-Times she wasn’t making huge money taking such cases, but relied on business clients for her income.)
On the day of the aerial poison drop itself, the sanctuary fence was vandalised, and a hole was drilled in a helicopter refuelling tank. Late morning, Smith was attacked with rat poison. It was rubbed on him by cannabis campaigner Rose Renton. Later, Renton was defended by Grey, and received a $400 fine.
Smith said he was disappointed with Grey’s behaviour during the case.
‘‘It’s fine to have a different view on the pest operation, and nor do I have difficulties with Sue Grey defending clients,’’ Smith said. ‘‘What I do have a problem with is that in her defence she effectively defended rubbing poison on me as a legitimate form of protest.’’
This is a concern that arises again and again around Grey. From spreading untrue information, to refusing to delete posts that are wrong, to moderating her followers on her pages, to working with people like former leader of far-Right group NZ National Front Kyle Chapman, critics say her behaviour works to effectively validate viewpoints and ideas that are harmful or wrong.
‘‘She’s high-profile, she’s a lawyer, and people trust her, but she has no boundaries about who she will or won’t associate with,’’ says Andrew Mackie, another FACT Aotearoa member. ‘‘When she appears on Counterspin with Kelvyn Alp, and she doesn’t reject what he says, that signals to people that what he’s saying is OK.’’
Grey rejects these accusations. ‘‘I would work with anybody who’s got a vision for freedom and democracy and those willing to work with others,’’ she said. ‘‘I don’t think it’s a case of legitimising views or not.’’
‘‘Obviously, I don’t like hate speech and those sorts of things. But… if you hear an issue, the hate often goes out of it.’’
But when asked about the hate speech and misogyny directed against the prime minister, Grey doesn’t answer the question, and
‘‘Obviously, I don’t like hate speech and those sorts of things. But… if you hear an issue, the hate often goes out of it.’’ Sue Grey
begins instead to talk about the oppression of women she witnessed while travelling through India and Pakistan. She also refuses to denounce Alp, who advocated for Ardern and the rest of the MPs in Parliament to be hanged.
‘‘Look, I think that he’s got his views,’’ Grey says. ‘‘The way things are… something that is treated as completely out there one day, six months or a year later has suddenly become quite a
normal way of looking at things… history changes all the time. I think the more perspectives the better.’’
She also takes no responsibility for what others post on her social media, she says.
‘‘I mean, this is the whole problem,’’ she says. ‘‘We’ve had a mummy state telling us what we can and can’t think and do. And it takes away personal responsibility. My view is the opposite.’’
This includes when she posts things that are untrue. ‘‘I don’t believe I’ve ever posted that something is a vaccine injury without absolutely compelling evidence,’’ Grey says.
But what about the case of the schoolgirl, where there was no evidence, and she’s caused harm to a grieving family and the people who viewed and believed her post? Does she think her version of ‘‘public interest’’ outweighs their feelings?
‘‘I’m hugely respectful of families, and especially when they’ve just suffered a loss,‘‘she says. ‘‘But I’m also a mother. And I’d like [my children] to have access to all of the information.’’
Mackie says Grey isn’t uncommon among conspiracy theorists in believing their work is a necessary public good.
‘‘In their minds, they’re a whistleblower,’’ he says. ‘‘They’ve turned rumourmongering into a moral duty. And in doing so, they’ve insulated
Nthemselves from any problem in their own head.’’ ew Zealand is now more than a month on from the parliamentary occupation. A recent attempt to repeat the protest failed dismally. Omicron is waning. The borders are reopening. The imminent threat of disinformation fracturing society seems less pressing.
‘‘It’s not,’’ Hattotuwa says. ‘‘The long and short of it is we are seeing a pivot now, away from anti-mandates and towards the general election.’’
Already, on the back alleys of Telegram, there are whispers about broader political moves. Amid the anger, there was talk of starting a coalition of small parties. Creating an alternative to the mainstream.
Last election, the Outdoors Party got only 0.1 per cent of the vote. Just 679 people in Nelson voted for Grey. Ideological allies Advance Party got 1 per cent. The New Conservatives got 1 per cent. Even combined, they barely stand a chance at a single seat.
‘‘It’s not so much the electoral outcome that’s a concern,’’ Hattotuwa says. ‘‘It’s that the election is going to be fundamentally different to any New Zealand has had in the past. And all these people like Alp, some of the protesters – they are against government in general. They advocate killing of MPs. It is not good for political discourse or democracy.’’
Online, there is a video of Sue Grey in 2017 discussing her ‘‘blueprint’’ for how to get authorities to listen, even if mainstream media won’t. She suggested activists flood the comments sections of news sites with comments about 1080, even on unrelated articles.
‘‘We’ve got to be more noisy and cause more trouble than any of the other problems so we go to the top of the list.’’
Soon afterwards, the livestreams and comments sections of every news outlet in New Zealand were overwhelmed in a spike of 1080 activism. Later, 5G activists used the same tactics.
‘‘It’s exhausting,’’ New Zealand Telecommunications Forum chief executive Paul Brislen says. He’s concerned the focus will go back on the communications networks post-pandemic. ‘‘Before Covid there were towers being burned down, towers attacked, all because of misinformation.’’
Facebook data from the beginning of April confirms his worst fears. Almost as soon as the protest chatter waned, action on the 1080 and 5G Facebook group increased again. There’s also increased chatter about Three Waters, about He Puapua, about Marsden Point.
There’s only one question left: what cause will Sue Grey pick next?