Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown slams Destiny Church ‘thuggery’ after protest at pride event
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Destiny Church protested against a Pride Festival drag story time event at Te Atatū Library on Saturday.
Video showed members pushing past library staff at a stairwell, despite requests for them not to enter the private event.
Auckland Council says it is “extremely disappointed” by the “non-peaceful” protest.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has slammed Destiny Church’s protest at a library pride event, stating “there is absolutely no place for thuggery”.
Video showed Destiny Church members pushing past staff at a stairwell, despite requests for them not to enter the private event at the Te Atatū library.
The event was hosted by a drag king, who read a book to children about how rainbows are made, with costumes inspired by the sun, clouds and rain.
Protesters, wearing Man Up t-shirts, were seen performing a haka. Some were holding up signs which read “let kids be kids”, “there are only two genders” and “say ‘no’ to pride propaganda”.
The mayor described the actions of protesters as “totally unacceptable”.
“While I respect freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, to enter a council library facility that is there for all our communities to use and intimidate council staff, volunteers and community members going about their business, is completely out of line.
“There is absolutely no place for thuggery.”
He said he fully supported measures taken by the council to ensure staff safety.
“Auckland is home to 1.7 million people from all walks of life and I value the diversity of the communities that make up our great city.
“The kind of behaviour that was on display today is disgraceful and unacceptable.”
In a post on Facebook, Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki claimed they were “making a stand against the woke agenda plaguing our city”, adding that drag king story time events were an attempt to “seduce more kids into their queer lifestyle”.
Rainbow story times typically involve drag artists reading books to children about acceptance and inclusion, with a diverse range of characters.
The art of drag can be performed by all genders and often includes an exaggeration of gender expression. The performances for children are typically flamboyant, but not sexual in nature.
Auckland Council community director Rachel Kelleher said it was “extremely disappointed in the non-peaceful actions of protesters” at the “friendly educational event” for tamariki.
“Our libraries and community spaces are provided as safe and inclusive places for the whole community, and any actions that intimidate and threaten our community and staff will not be tolerated.”
The council respected the right for peaceful protest, “but this was not that”. The protesters did not respect the staff or other users of the centre, Kelleher said.
A similar event to be held in New Lynn in the afternoon was cancelled due to the protesters’ behaviour, she added.
In a statement, Auckland Pride described the incident as “deeply hurtful”.
“This incident has affected those present, including Auckland Pride and Auckland Council staff, and will resonate across the wider community, reminding us of the ongoing challenges we face as Takatāpui and Rainbow communities.
“Our hearts are with those affected, especially those who were harmed.
“We are aware that such actions could happen again, and we encourage our communities to remain vigilant when organising and attending events, however, we remain resilient in the face of hate and violence.
“While today has been a painful reminder of imported ideologies and the violence they bring, we remain confident in our community’s resilience.”
A police spokesperson said a report of a disorder was made at around 12.30pm.
“Police dispersed the group responsible for the disorder, no injuries are reported.”