Posie Parker: Auckland Council gives green light to anti-trans speaker’s event

Anti-transgender rights activist Posie Parker (Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull) at a Let Women Speak rally in the UK in February. Photo / Getty Images

Auckland Council is allowing an anti-trans speaker’s rally to go ahead in one of the city’s central parks this weekend, but says this does not indicate endorsement of the event.

British activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, is due to travel to Aotearoa to speak in Auckland and Wellington for her Let Women Speak tour this weekend.

Last week, the self-described women’s rights activist drew protests in Perth and Melbourne, where some people were seen giving Nazi salutes and shouting slurs at counter-protesters.

An Auckland Council spokesperson told the Herald it had received an application for an event permit from the organisers, along with a Health and Safety Plan.

”The event organisers have the primary responsibility to ensure they run a safe and secure event and we have been informed that they have hired their own security team.”

They said the council will continue to monitor health, safety and security risks until the date of the event.

”We recognise that Aucklanders hold a wide range of views on issues and that the rights to freedom of expression and assembly are protected by law. The granting of an event permit does not indicate that the council endorses the event.”

Keen-Minshull has widely criticised policies that support the transgender community and has been labelled as an anti-trans activist.

Yesterday Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said it would be reviewing whether Keen-Minshull would be allowed to enter the country.

New Zealand Immigration Law director and principal lawyer Aaron Martin told NZME the Immigration Minister had the ability to specify certain people were not eligible for a visa or entry permission if they are likely to be a threat or risk to public order or the public interest.

He said when this is done, an alert is placed on the person’s file, which would prevent them from boarding an inbound aircraft.

“This is often done, for example, where it comes to INZ’s attention that a person may have serious criminal convictions.”