Dr David Cumin
Spokesperson
Free Speech Union
Further to Jordan’s article yesterday, I am writing to ask you to support us in forcing Auckland Council to respect the rights of free speech – and stop banning groups they disagree with from using public facilities.
This time, it’s not some foreign provocateurs, but a New Zealand feminist group – Speak Up for Women – who have been told that their views would make people feel ‘unsafe’ and therefore cannot use the Pioneer Women’s Hall at the Ellen Melville. The group wanted to host an event to discuss a proposed law currently before Parliament about gender self-identification.
You read that right, Council is now blocking feminist groups from using feminist halls because they’re the ‘wrong type’ of feminist.
Yesterday, we issued legal proceedings against Auckland Council, and Palmerston North City Council (which has also de-platformed the group). But we are 100% counting on your support to follow this through.
The advice from our lawyers is that this is, in many ways, a better case than our original case against Phil Goff regarding the Canadians. The Councils are basically arguing that there is a health and safety risk to staff and/or future users of the facilities because of the group’s views. That’s even though these staff/people won’t be at the event!
Personally, I am disgusted with Auckland Council’s approach. Not only are they ignoring the Court of Appeal’s recent decision, they are effectively saying that the views of Speak Up for Women ‘contaminate’ a venue.
The de-platforming also ignores the role of political debate. Of course some views make some people uncomfortable. Most feminist movements – which ironically one of venues represents – made the establishment uncomfortable. The feelings of council staff cannot be the test of whether New Zealanders are allowed to debate a proposed law change.
As you’ll appreciate, our Union does not take a view on gender matters. But have a read of the Speak Up for Women’s website and judge for yourself whether you think they are a ‘hate group’. They simply don’t accept the modern day ‘gender theory’ about people being able to self-identify their gender and want to debate a Bill before Parliament. They believe that the sex you were born with matters.
What is happening here is that Councils are ignoring the law on the basis that it is expensive to stand up to them in Court. That makes it even more important that we raise to the challenge.
We’ve launched a crowd funder for this case and we are counting on your support so we can force the Councils to hold these events, comply with the law, and show other councils that their picking and choosing of what views they’ll allow (or not allow) cannot continue.
Please share so others can discover The BFD.