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A Northland-based Australian citizen known for promoting extreme views has been arrested for allegedly breaching bail.
Karen Brewer, who lives in the Mid North, was originally arrested outside the Far North District Council chambers on August 31 and charged with breaching a Covid order by organising a series of protests during level 4 lockdown.
She had called on people across Australasia to occupy government and council offices until all elected representatives stood down and fresh elections were called.
Her bail conditions included not inciting or taking part in further protests.
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Advertise with NZME.The Advocate understands she was pulled over by police about 9.40am on Friday on her way to a protest in Whangārei.
She was charged with breaching bail and appeared in the Kaikohe District Court.
She was again released on bail and is due back in court on November 16.
Brewer filmed her arrest live on Telegram, a social media platform favoured, among others, by the far right and promoters of conspiracy theories.
In the video she says she is being pulled over by police as she is driving to Whangārei.
She continues to film herself as an arm can be seen reaching through the car window to take her phone.
A minor scuffle ensues and the dialogue becomes difficult to understand before the clip comes to an abrupt end.
Brewer's beliefs — as outlined in a leaflet promoting her August 31 protests — include that a branch of the Freemasons is plotting global genocide.
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Advertise with NZME.Her leaflet was distributed at SNA protest meetings, a ute tax protest and left in letterboxes.
Around the country 17 people were arrested for failing to comply with level 4 restrictions by taking part in protests called by Brewer on August 31.
In 2020, Brewer was ordered by the Australian Federal Court to pay A$945,000 to an Australian senator after a campaign of defamatory social media posts falsely claimed the senator, her husband and their charity were part of a paedophile ring.
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