John MacDonald: Weasel words aren't the way to respond to Destiny's hate speech

I am so glad that I’m not a member of the local rainbow community. Because if I was, I would be despairing at the weasel words the Christchurch mayor and the city council are trotting out about the Destiny Church's despicable disruption of the pride month opening event in Christchurch on Saturday.  

And it just tells me that people are either scared of taking on the Destiny Church or they somehow think their hatred is okay.  

So what happened at the weekend is the annual “walk for support” for LGBTQIA+ people wound up at the Bridge of Remembrance, and these muppets from the Destiny Church were there protesting against them.  

They were carrying signs saying things about puberty blockers and child abuse and telling the people there to “repent”.  

They also had a speaker system there, which they shouldn't have. But no one did anything about it.  

Which is why a local rainbow campaigner is saying that the city council should apologise for not shutting down this illegal protest driven by nothing more than hatred.  

And I agree. But I don't think that’s going to be coming anytime soon, considering the weasel words being trotted out by mayor Phil Mauger and the council's chief executive.  

Phil Mauger is saying that everyone has the right to protest but it was “not polite” of the Destiny Church to set up their loudspeakers right beside the event.  

He says it was “quite disappointing”, but he’s pleased things didn't get out of control like they did when the Destiny Church went awol at that pride event in Auckland the other week.  

So that’s the mayor. But it gets even worse with what the council’s chief executive is saying.  

Mary Richardson says: “We have to respect other people’s democratic right to protest, even if we don’t agree with their views.”   

And the strongest action the council took was to send out a noise control officer - who found that there weren’t any noise limit breaches. Do me a favour.   

That’s not all. There’s some classic passing-of-the-buck going on, with the council saying that it’s the job of the police to deal with public disturbances and the police saying permission to set-up loudspeakers is the job of the council and so the council has to deal with it, which is why the noise control officer was sent out.  

But could you get a more lame response if you tried? But remember that this isn’t the first time that the Christchurch City Council has turned a blind eye to the Destiny Church.  

You’ll remember how it waived $50,000 in fines that it had sent the church for the disruption caused by its anti-vax mandate protests during covid. That was all to do with Destiny Church not following the rules, not working with the council so it could make sure that traffic management was sorted.  

But the council ripped those tickets up. Derek Tait from Destiny had a cup of tea with former mayor Lianne Dalziell and all was forgiven.   

And it’s doing the exact same thing with these weasel words about the Destiny crew's behaviour on Saturday.  

This is the council, let me remind you, that was all in favour of putting a rainbow crossing somewhere in town. Which, when it comes down to it, doesn't take much fortitude.  

Yes, paint the crossing. I’m all for it.  

But, when it comes down to it, painting a road crossing is nothing like staring down those clowns from the Destiny Church and telling them that their messages of hatred are not welcome.  

And telling them that we’ve had a gutsful of them not giving a damn about the rules. 

Rules that you and I would be expected to follow. And, if we didn't, there’d be consequences. Not if you're the Destiny Church, though, it seems.  

So I’m with the pride campaigners who are saying today that the council cou

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
You know, I am so glad. I'm so glad that
I'm not a member of the local Rainbow community this morning,
because if I was, I would be despairing at the
weasel words the mayor and the city council are trotting
out about the Destiny Church's despicable, corrupt, corruption, disruption, despicable,

(00:40):
despicable disruption of the Pride Month opening event in christ
Church on Saturday, And it just tells me that that
people are either scared of taking on the Destiny Church
or some or they somehow think their hatred is okay.
So what happened at the weekend is the annual Walk
for Support for lgbt Q I A plus people wound

(01:05):
up at the Bridge of Remembrance and these muppets from
the Destiny Church, they were there protesting against them, and
they were carrying signs saying things about puberty blockers and
child abuse and telling people there to repent. But the
worst bit was that they had a speaker system there
which they shouldn't have, but no one did anything about it,

(01:29):
which is why a local Rainbow campaigner was saying this
morning that the city council should apologize for not shutting
them down, for not shutting down this illegal protest driven
by nothing more than hatred, and I agree it owes
an apology big time, but I don't think that's going
to be coming anytime soon, considering the weazel words being

(01:51):
trodded out by Mayor pilm Major and the council chief executive.
Here's what PHILM Major is saying about the Destiny Church's
appalling behavior on Saturday. He's saying that everyone has the
right to protest, but it was quote not polite of
the Destiny Church to set up their loud speakers right
beside the Pride event. Phil Major says the lack of

(02:16):
respect was quote quite disappointing, but he's pleased that things
didn't get out of control like they did when the
Destiny Church went a waller that Pride event in Auckland
the other week. So that's the mayor, you could say.
It gets even worse with the council's Chief executive executive,
Mary Richardson. He's what she's saying, quote, we have to
respect other people's democratic right to protest, even if we

(02:38):
don't agree with their views, and she says the well,
I'll tell you this, the strongest action the council took
was to send out a noise control officer. I found
there was no noise limit breaches, nothing to see here.
I mean, do me, do me a favor. And that's
not all. There's more. There's some classic passing of the

(02:59):
buck going on, with the council saying that it's a
job of the police to deal with public disturbances, and
the police saying permission to see up loud speakers. It's
the job of the council and so the council has
to deal with it, which is why the noise control
officer was sent out.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Jaefers.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
But could you get a more lame response if you tried,
I don't think you could. But remember though, that this
isn't the first time that the Christian City Council has
turned a blind eye to the Destiny Church. Remember how
it waivered fifty thousand dollars in fines that it had
sent the church for the disruption caused by its anti
Vak's mandate protests during COVID. Remember that, you remember how

(03:37):
it waivered them fifty thousand bucks that was all to
do with Destiny Church not following the rules, not working
with the council so it would make sure that traffic
management was sorted and all of that. But the council
ripped up those tickets. Derek Tape from Destiny Church had
a cup of tea with Lee and Delzel. All was forgiven.
And the council's doing the exact same thing with these

(03:57):
weezer words about the Destiny Crew and what they did
at the Pride event on Saturday. This is the council,
let me remind you. This is the council that was
all in favor of putting rainbow crossing somewhere in town, which,
when it comes down to it, doesn't take much fortitude. Yeah,
paint the crossing, what's the problem. I'm all for it,
But when it comes down to it, painting a road

(04:19):
crossing is nothing like steering down those clowns from the
Destiny Church and telling them that their messages of hatred
are not welcome, and telling them that we've had a
bloody guts full of them not giving a damn about
the rules, rules that you and I would be expected
to follow, and if we didn't, they be consequent to
say not if you're the Destiny Church though, so I'm

(04:41):
with the Pride campaigners who are saying today that the
council could have and should have done a lot more
on Saturday when the Destiny muppets turned up, but the
council didn't, and for that it should apologize. But that's
not all our mayor and his council. They need to
condemn Destiny Church for their messages of hatred. If the
strongest thing Phil Major can say is that it wasn't

(05:03):
polite of them to do what they did, then don't
expect them to pull their heads in anytime soon.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
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