MASSEY UNIVERSITY'S CLAMPDOWN ON FREE SPEECH

Massey University don't want  you to hear Meghan Murphy

Massey University says that Feminism 2020 can't take place on its Wellington campus for 'health and safety ' reasons....

IN A SHORT PRESS STATEMENT Massey University has announced that its has reversed its decision to allow Feminism 2020 to take place at a venue on its Wellington campus.

Massey Univerity claims that it is 'committed to the values of academic freedom, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of expression, as values that lie at the very heart of the tradition of a university and academic inquiry.' But it now claims that it would be in breach of 'health, safety and wellbeing obligations' if it allowed the event to take place. It has provided no details on just exactly how Feminism 2020 would be in contravention of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

The organisers of Feminism 2020, Speak Up for Women, say that that Massey University has surrendered 'to activist intimidation tactics'. It has consistently denied that it is 'anti-transgender' or 'transphobic' and its website states that  it supports '...the rights of transgender people to live their lives free from violence and 'discrimination'. 

Despite this statement mainstream news organisations like RNZ National continue to describe it as 'anti-transgender'.

'The staff and students of Massey were never at any risk from our event nor from the four women speaking at it. We are a group of women wanting to talk about our rights. This should not be controversial in 2019,' says Speak Up For Women spokeswoman Ani O’Brien.

Speak Up for Women says that they are determined to see the Wellington event go ahead and are currently in the process of finding a new venue. It says that Massey University's clampdown on free speech has highlighted "once again how important it is that we continue to fight to speak openly about women’s rights.”