Let Women Speak in New Zealand

“The only way to describe the trans activist mob at Auckland today is feral. Kellie-Jay Keen had to get escorted out of the rally after only being there a brief time due to fears for her safety, and the rally was abandoned.”

Katrina Biggs, Auckland

We were shocked by the appalling scenes of violence and intimidation of Kellie-Jay Keen and women attending the Speak up for Women event in Auckland on 25th March (read Katrina Biggs’ account and Speak up for Women’s statement).

“Storming barricades and assaulting women is not “free speech”. It is violent sexism and misogyny. Drowning out the speech of people you don’t like is the cowardly approach of people unwilling to debate contesting views. A 5’1” woman needing four security guards to form a human shield around her to protect her from a screaming, spitting mob is not a New Zealand we know. But it is a true representation of a movement that has become increasingly determined to shut down and destroy anyone with views about sex and gender that they don’t like.”

Speak up for Women New Zealand

Sex Matters condemns the violence and stand in support of Kellie-Jay Keen and the women attending the event. We have joined together with other groups in the UK in writing to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, calling on him to to engage with the government of New Zealand to demand to know why Kellie-Jay Keen was unable to speak in public and had to leave the country, and to ask what action it will now take to protect the rights of women and girls to speak freely without fear of violence. 

Statement by UK human rights, women’s rights, LGB rights and child safeguarding groups condemning violent protests preventing women from speaking in New Zealand

Women who speak out about women’s rights and lesbian rights are vilified and, increasingly, attacked not only verbally but physically. Many of us have experienced such extreme hostility, intimidation and violence. We stand with all women who speak for their rights.

Kellie-Jay Keen, a women’s rights activist from the UK, has been prevented by violent protesters from holding a public open-mic event, and has been assaulted and forced to cut short her tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Videos from the event show a protester attacking her with tomato juice, and a mob threatening to crush her as she tried to leave the event after protesters breached security barriers. She was saved by event stewards removing her from danger; a meaningful police presence was nowhere to be seen. 

It is clear that the police in New Zealand failed to protect her, and the many other women hoping to speak, from intimidation and violence at the hands of protesters. As a result the event was called off, and Ms Keen left New Zealand early. 

As activists for women’s rights, lesbian, gay and bisexual rights, child safeguarding and human rights in the UK, we condemn the actions of violent activists (while supporting the right to protest peacefully). We are dismayed by New Zealand’s failure to provide effective protection for free speech for women’s rights campaigners.

In its International Women and Girls Strategy, released on 8th March 2023, the UK government says that constraints on women’s freedom of expression, prevention of women’s engagement in public debate, and intimidation and threats of violence against women are major issues. The Rt Hon James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, says in the foreword: “We support all the brave women around the world who are struggling for their freedoms and rights.”

We call on the Secretary of State, on behalf of the UK government, to join us in supporting the brave women speaking up for women’s rights in New Zealand, and in condemning the violent protesters. We call on the Secretary of State to ask for an immediate meeting with the New Zealand High Commissioner to seek assurances on the matters of human rights and free speech in New Zealand.

We call on the UK government to engage with the government of New Zealand to demand to know why Kellie-Jay Keen was unable to speak in public and had to leave the country. 

The UK government must ask New Zealand what it is doing to support freedom of expression and association in a free society, and in particular what action it will now take to protect the rights of women and girls to speak freely without fear of violence.