Paul Fisher is a lawyer based in Tokoroa. Photo / Shaun de Malmanche
Paul Fisher is a lawyer based in Tokoroa. Photo / Shaun de Malmanche
A video of Waikato lawyer Paul Fisher yelling at climate change protesters several years ago has emerged in the wake of a video showing him calling pro-Palestinian activists “anti-Semite racist pigs” over the weekend.
In the most recent video, which was filmed in Cambridge on Saturdayand posted to social media, Fisher can be seen standing on a road in the town and repeatedly shouting at a small group of protesters.
“Shame on you,” Fisher yells at an elderly man who was part of the protest.
Now, another video has emerged of Fisher yelling at climate change protesters in Palmerston North in 2023.
“Your lies, your propaganda,” Fisher says, waving his finger at the protesters.
“You’ve got a mental illness, get some ... help,” before walking away.
Off camera, and behind the protesters, an acquaintance of Fisher’s can be heard saying, “We’ll sue you”.
Although the video was posted several years ago, some users have drawn links to the video filmed over the weekend, with one person pointing out that Fisher is even wearing the same shirt.
The video was filmed just outside the Square in Palmerston North and posted in September 2023 by Shaun de Malmanche, who was protesting with one other person.
Waikato lawyer Paul Fisher confronted protesters in Cambridge on Saturday. Photo / C4Pal
“He [Fisher] drove past us in his ute and started screaming at us,” de Malmanche said. “He was just screaming about how we were lying.
“He’d actually calmed down a bit by the time I got my phone out.”
De Malmanche, who is a “very active activist”, said it was unusual to get abuse from members of the public.
Until the video of Fisher subjecting protesters in Cambridge to a similar tirade emerged, de Malmanche had no idea that he was a lawyer.
Fisher is a lawyer based in Tokoroa and is a partner at the firm Clancy Fisher Oxner & Bryant. Neither he nor the firm has responded to NZME’s requests for comment.
Fisher’s behaviour is believed to have resulted in complaints to the New Zealand Law Society, which can pursue disciplinary action against lawyers who bring the profession into disrepute.
The Law Society won’t confirm if that’s the case as it doesn’t comment on complaints it receives.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
