It’s important to respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but how much political deference is due when it isn’t peaceful?

Commenting on Destiny Church members storming a children’s event at the Te Atatū library and community centre on Saturday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said it’s important to respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful protest, but the Destiny Church protest went “too far”.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown also caveated his response to the incident with a similar line about respecting “people’s right to free speech and peaceful protest” but gave it some oomph by calling it “thuggery”. Auckland Council CEO Phil Wilson also dialled in the right to free speech line but left his mark by calling it “outrageous” and “unacceptable”.

While it’s fair and right that leaders slightly hedge their bets when speaking publicly, waiting for facts to emerge, both Brown and Wilson were still able to be confident in their condemnation. Luxon, less so.

The protest in question was not peaceful. Footage of the incident surfaced online very quickly. Brian Tamaki’s Freedoms and Rights Coalition West Auckland was live-streaming the event but has since deleted the footage. The Herald reported that the live stream showed church members “attempting to force their way up the stairs” and “two women throwing punches.”

Other media reports over the weekend described members of the church pushing, shoving and punching their way into the library, where families had gathered to attend a children’s science show hosted by drag artist Hugo Grrrl as part of Auckland Pride. The police have confirmed they are investigating allegations of assault. A 16-year-old girl attending a sports event at the community centre suffered a concussion, and 30 people, including toddlers, had to barricade themselves in a room as church members banged on the doors.

Destiny Church has a history of protesting LGBTQI+ events and targeting drag performers. Auckland Pride has been on the calendar for a while. You might expect people in leadership positions to have formed some views on these matters, especially when one community in particular has been repeatedly targeted.

When there are reports of toddlers being barricaded in a room because a group of “man up” t-shirt wearers think science education is dangerous enough to justify punching your way into a community facility, tempering your response so much that it becomes an inconsequential wisp of air is giving “wet bus ticket”.

A more full-throated condemnation alongside the oft-repeated line about freedom of speech and assembly would not have required more than a beginner’s grasp of linguistics. Expressing as much concern for the people who were being targeted, intimidated and frightened as you do for the free speech rights of Destiny Church only requires basic empathy.

At his post-cabinet press conference on Monday, Luxon said the protesters had crossed the line, which was “not the Kiwi way”. Speaking in platitudes like this demonstrates Luxon’s continuing problem with authentic communication. As Stuff columnist Damien Grant observed, “Luxon has made it clear he opposes the [Treaty Principles] bill but he has failed to tell us why, nor provide any guidance on how we should navigate the complex issues it has exposed. He does not have a view on asset sales. He talks about fiscal responsibility but isn’t willing to do what is necessary to achieve it.”

In that vein, it’s fair for voters to ask what Luxon actually believes is “the Kiwi way.” What values underpin that for him, and in what way did Destiny Church’s actions breach the sacred national covenant of “our way?”

In trying to please everyone by saying not much at all (except “growth”), you please no one. Staying “on message” 24/7 slowly erodes any understanding of what you stand for, breeding a sense that, like a delicate wee reed, you may very well snap in half, falling at the slightest gust of wind.

Destiny Church and others who rail against the trans community and drag performers are using what’s known as drag panic to stir up fear, division and hate. It’s a moral panic that exists in the minds of those adrift from reality, weaponising difference and the uneven playing field occupied by minority groups to infer unfounded concerns about “grooming” and “pedophilia”. There is no justification for it.

Children are most at risk of sexual abuse in their own homes or when in state, institutional or faith-based care. This country has a long list of members of the clergy who have been convicted of sexual abuse and assault crimes against children and a shameful history of abusing and neglecting children in faith-based care institutions. As far as I know, there are no equivalent lists involving drag performers. 

Sometimes, the voices of the fringe extremists riding the frothy waves of global culture war rhetoric and populism sound very loud. For those on the receiving end of their hatred, they’re deafening, but Destiny Church members numbered 1,772 at the 2018 New Zealand census, under a third of the 6,000 claimed by Tamaki. Tamaki’s Freedoms NZ party gained 9,573 votes in the 2023 election. They should not be treated as a majority voice or consequential constituency for any major party. 

On the other hand, in 2023, an Ipsos LGBT+ Pride survey showed that 84% of New Zealanders believe transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing and access to businesses. On average, a majority of New Zealanders agree that transgender teenagers should be allowed to receive gender-affirming care, that transgender people should be allowed to use single-sex facilities, such as public restrooms, that correspond to their gender and that government-issued documents such as passports should have options other than “male” and “female” for people who do not identify as either. Most New Zealanders aren’t siding with Destiny Church here. Most aren’t panicking about children being taught science at a community library by a drag king.

With all of that on your side, meekly responding to violence rooted in moral panic is the opposite of courageous or astute leadership.

What happened over the weekend wasn’t fair or peaceful, and most voters in New Zealand probably wouldn’t have minded their prime minister voicing his condemnation of a fringe group that terrified children a little bit louder than the squeak we got. Perhaps that is “the Kiwi way”.