From Radio NZ…
Three Court of Appeal judges have retired to consider whether Auckland Council broke the law by denying two far right speakers the opportunity to host an event in one of its venues.
Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux had been due to speak at the Bruce Mason Centre in August 2018, sparking a public outcry and large protests, but the council-controlled Regional Facilities Auckland intervened and stopped the event.
The speakers, through Australian agency Axiomatic Events, tried to hire a private venue instead but got turned down time and time again.
Auckland Council had claimed that it made the decision out of concern for public safety, given the angry protests that the event would no doubt invoke.
The appeal was lodged by Dunedin bookseller Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle and prominent member of the Auckland Jewish community David Cumin after the High Court found the council had acted lawfully.
Read the full story here on RNZ…
