Tomorrow’s Let Women Speak gathering in Wellington has been cancelled according to a statement released by Speak Up for Women.

It follows angry scenes in Auckland’s Albert Park when activist Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull, known as Posie Parker, arrived to speak to supporters.

Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull is described as a women’s rights advocate and an opponent of transgender rights.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m, Parker was escorted out of Albert Park while onlookers jeered.

It appears she had soup poured over her by a counter-protest.

Free Speech Union member Ani O’Brien said she was “disgusted” at what happened today.

“The organisers of the mob (Max Tweedie & Shaneel Lal who whipped up a frenzy must take responsibility and condemn those who assaulted KJK.

The media who knowingly painted her as a Nazi, knowing she isn’t, are responsible too. You justified violence against her.”

“The reason I joined the Free Speech Union was that I firmly believe that no matter the topic, we should disagree freely and without violence.

Today, I realised that we have a much bigger task in front of us than I thought because Kiwis are already choosing violence and being celebrated for it.”

She said “when I arrived at the Let Women Speak event today, I was pleased to see that the growing protest crowd was loud, but contained and separate from the event attendees.

“I did not expect the violence I witnessed.”

We expected noise from the protestors and they certainly delivered, but I did not expect the violence I witnessed.”

No sooner had Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull arrived at the Rotunda, a protestor (who had managed to get past the barrier) ran at her and threw a red substance all over her and a security guard.

As she attempted to clean up, the protestors pushed over, crushed, and dismantled the barriers and swarmed around her.

“At this point, I was caught in the angry crowd. I had whistles blown in my face, abuse screamed at me, and I was fearful for my own safety. This was nothing compared to what Kellie-Jay endured. She was trapped and surrounded by a mob screaming abuse and trying to get past her security guards.

Despite widely publicised threats of violence, the police were no where near the protest frontlines to prevent the event from devolving into chaos as it did.”

“I have never been more concerned about our country. Free speech is completely dead when the angriest and loudest activists are allowed to decide who gets to speak and listen.”

Where does this end? Will the activist groups provide us with a list of approved topics and speakers?

If we don’t get this sorted and can’t rely on the police, someone could very well end up dead. This is serious and we cannot sit back and watch violence become the norm.”

Activist Shaneel Lal spreads misinformation

Activist Shaneel Lal early told TVNZ’s Breakfast programme Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull’s arrival to New Zealand will make queer hatred worse.

In one of several examples, he cited how a “rainbow youth (building) got burned down in an arson attack.”

He repeated toe claim in the New Zealand Herald.

But in November last year, Judge Ingram said it was clear from the medical report and other material before him that the offenders suffered mental health difficulties and had “significant intellectual limitations”.

The judge said he was satisfied it was “not a hate crime [by the definition] popularised by Parliament” nor was it a deliberate targeting of the communities of Rainbow Youth and Gender Dynamix.

“In fact my view this was far from that. And what happened the day was related to these two men’s mental health state at the time and they were clearly seriously affected by their reduced mental and intellectual capabilities.”

“Ironically, the group who complained they were going to be the victims of violence ended up being the violent ones.”

ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden said “today in Albert Park we have seen something ACT has long warned of: The alternative to free speech and reasoned debate is physical violence.”

“In a civilised country, you counter ideas you don’t like with more speech and debate, not violence and intimidation.”

She said “ironically, the group who complained they were going to be the victims of violence ended up being the violent ones.”

Van Velden said “Immigration Minister Michael Wood needs to take responsibility for his unprofessional, immature and inflammatory outburst about this event. It did not help promote rational behaviour.

“Like many others, Wood has been quick to condemn without thinking about the impact of shutting people down. We risk a divided society where cancel culture spirals out of control.

“The only thing that could make this worse if the Government itself had the power to prosecute people for causing offence under so-called hate speech laws.

Better still, the Government could and should have enforced people’s rights to speak and debate freely without resorting to violence.”

Left-leaning political commentator Martyn Bradbury said “I’m no fan of Parker, as far as I am concerned she is a fear grifter who loves this reaction and attention.

However, she is a manifestation of a cancel culture where these issues can’t be debated without woke social media lynchings.”

He said “the balancing act here was to protest and disrupt without becoming a mob, because the footage of her being attacked is now a propaganda tool for her anger grifting.”

“Right now the entire community need to actually step back and consider how the militant cancel culture element of the debate has alienated everyone else and created the environment where Posie Parker can thrive” Bradbury said.

“I have many self-declaring feminist women who privately tell me they have real misgivings with some of the Trans woke dogma but are terrified of saying anything because the Fourth Wave Feminists, non-binary activists and trans ally vegan mommy bloggers rip them to pieces on social media.

Because the woke activists rely on echo bunkers and cancel culture, they have lost the ability to persuade and because the Left is overrun by the woke that inability to win over people is rife throughout the movement.”

Posie Parker is what happens when we censor. We may have won the Thugs Veto Battle today, but we’ve lost the Free Speech War tomorrow. In the end it wasn’t the Trans community who were in danger, it was Posie Parker and that’s exactly what she wanted.” Bradbury said.

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters said “shutting down freedom of speech by these woke hand wringers is the thin edge of the wedge and is starting New Zealand down a dangerous path we should never go.

People do not have the right not to be offended – if you don’t like it then don’t listen.”