Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has claimed the media is simply jealous of his life as he held a secret Destiny Church meeting following protestors knowledge of the previously planned meeting. Source - Facebook/Jordan Davis
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has accused the media and a group planning a protest at one of the church's meetings of being "jealous about my life".
Tamaki moved last night's meeting in Christchurch to an undisclosed location after activists announced they would welcome him with a "big gay party".
The protest was centred around Tamaki's comments the day before last year's Kaikoura earthquake that earthquakes were caused by gays, sinners and murderers.
In a video taken at the gathering last night Tamaki said protesters and the media targeted him because they were "jealous".
"It's not the car, it's not the church - it's me. They are incredibly jealous about my life. They want to party here not because of you, you're innocent, it's me. Why me? Because it knows that I'm going to tell you how to have the same things," he said.
"Since when are all the big media so interested in a little Destiny Church meeting?
"You've gotta ask some questions. Surely there must be better news things than picking on this half-caste Maori about what kind of car he drives and [saying] I'm creaming you fellas for money.
"If they say I'm so rich and you're so poor, how do the two things happen?"
Activist Josie Butler, who shot to fame for throwing a sex toy at former Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce last year, organised the party to protest against Tamaki's "homophobic hate slur".
She said it also aimed to show people attending Tamaki's talk, who may be struggling with sexuality, that it's "okay to be gay".
"Hopefully he was afraid that we would genuinely cause an earthquake, and has decided not to come," organisers wrote on the page.
Tamaki's wife Hannah last year splashed out on a second new Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 450 Coupe.
