Anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has hit out at New Zealand after fleeing the country following an altercation at one of her rallies.
The British activist, who also goes by the name Posie Parker, has been conducting a “Let Women Speak” tour of Australia and New Zealand.
She was holding an event at Auckland’s Albert Park, where her supporters were vastly outnumbered by counter-protesters chanting “go home Posie, go home”.
The counter-protesters, many of whom held signs emblazoned with messages of support for trans youth, managed to drown out Ms Keen’s voice when she took to the rotunda at Albert Park.
When she appeared on the stage, the anti-trans activist had juice, water and eggs flung at her.
Eliana Rubashkyn, an intersex and trans activist, dropped a litre of tomato juice on Ms Keen’s head, which she said represented the blood of “our people”.
She told the media after the altercation that she had attended the event to “stop the hate against our communities”.
“New Zealand needs to stand up in front of the world and say this is not welcome here. We protect trans people.”
Ms Keen left the event surrounded by police shortly after the tomato juice incident, cutting her rally shortly before she was able to address supporters.
Upon leaving the event, she demanded to be taken to a police station citing fears for her life.
She took to Twitter hours after the event concluded, slamming the country as “the worst place for women”.
I get to leave the worst place for women I’ve ever visited and they live there,” she wrote.
“I will forever be indebted to them. We will not stop fighting until they are safe to live in their own land. I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more.”
She said she had left New Zealand on the advice of police, who “genuinely believed” she was lucky to be alive.
LGBTQIA+ advocacy group Auckland Pride rejected Ms Keen’s claims, saying there had been no physical threat to the activist.
“We reject this narrative. We are of the firm belief that the demonstration of unity, celebration, and acceptance … was too loud to overcome and the reason for her departure – and not the actions of any one individual,” the advocacy group said in a statement.
“We also reject that there was any further physical threat from our community towards Parker.
“This is a baseless rumour that is being perpetrated by those who feel defeated by the events of today.”
The 48-year-old activist had faced a battle to enter the country after Immigration New Zealand reviewed her entry to the country following her Melbourne event which was attended by neo-Nazis.
The country’s High Court ultimately ruled the government made the correct decision in allowing her to enter New Zealand.
Source: skynews.com.au
