Teen girls harassed by fans
A young all-female dance group were sexually harassed by rugby fans before the first Lions clash against the All Blacks.
HighJinx troupe director Carlene Newall de Jesus said her performers – girls aged between 13 and 16 – were subjected to lewd comments while performing before the test series opener at Eden Park on June 24.
Men asked the performers to give lap dances during the girls’ 90-minute performance outside Kingsland train station, she said.
One 13-year-old girl was asked how much it was ‘‘to get a handjob’’.
Rugby supporters also asked the girls to spread their legs wider during the performance.
The troupe, a youth company specialising in aerial and acrobatic circus, had been invited to perform by the Kingsland Business Society as part of fan entertainment.
HighJinx were set to perform again this Saturday before the test series decider at Eden Park.
But de Jesus received an email yesterday from the society stating that because of health and safety regulations the performance would be cancelled.
De Jesus, who first wrote about the incident in a column for The Spinoff, said no specific health and safety regulations were cited.
‘‘The biggest risk for the girls is the things people are saying and not the fact that they’re balancing on heads.’’
Most of the harassment came from men in Lions garb, she said.
Kingsland Business Society chairman Steve Gillett said he was unaware of the incident and the society’s manager, Christine Foley, was in charge of entertainment.
Foley was unable to be reached for comment.