NEW ZEALAND: The anti-trans activist Posie Parker was supposed to speak in Auckland, but loud and sometimes violent protests kept her from doing so. She cancelled other speeches and, according to reports, left New Zealand.
On Saturday morning, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who also goes by the name Posie Parker, was scheduled to give a speech in Auckland. The controversial UK gender activist was met with crowds of pro-trans rights protesters that numbered in the thousands and were much larger than the speaker’s fans. After being booed, heckled, and splashed with tomato juice, she departed the event before making a speech.
Before she arrived in New Zealand, Keen-Minshull’s visit there had generated a great deal of controversy. White nationalist organisations had previously supported and attended a performance in Australia, marching through the streets while repeatedly giving the Nazi salute.
Her entry to New Zealand had been sought after by a number of LGBTQ+ rights organizations on the basis that she posed a threat to public order. The high court of New Zealand decided on Friday that it was legal to grant Keen-Minshull entry into the nation.
Michael Wood, the minister of immigration, stated in a release on Friday: “Like many New Zealanders I would prefer it if Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull never set foot in New Zealand. I find many of her views repugnant, and am concerned by how she courts some of the most vile people and groups around, including white supremacists.”
On Saturday, there was a violent and disorderly demonstration and counter-protest. Marama Davidson, the co-leader of the Green Party, was struck by a motorbike at a crosswalk while she was holding a protest for transgender rights. At the demonstration, a group of motorcycle riders had come out in support of Keen-Minshull.
After the event, Davidson needed medical care but wasn’t admitted to the hospital. “It appears a motorcyclist failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing and Marama was knocked to the ground,” the party said in a statement on Saturday after learning that Davidson had notified the police about the incident.
Let Women Speak NZ, an organisation that puts on Keen-Minshull’s events, said in a statement on Saturday that the Wellington event had been “cancelled.”
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