Kellie-Jay Keen vows to return to Australia, praises Moira Deeming for legal win against John Pesutto

UK activist Kellie-Jay Keen has vowed to fight her visa ban and return to Australia, as she praised Moira Deeming’s legal win against John Pesutto. See the video.

Exclusive: British activist Kellie-Jay Keen has vowed to return to Australia and forge ahead with her fight for women’s rights despite being unable to obtain a visa twice in the past year.

Speaking exclusively to News Corp from her home near Bath in England’s west country, she praised exiled Victorian MP Moira Deeming for “having the gumption” to successfully sue Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto for defamation and warned that those fighting for women’s rights will not be silenced.

Ms Keen also criticised Australia for becoming “too woke” and allowing biological males who identify as women to encroach on female-only spaces including toilets, change rooms and workplaces.

Liberal MP Moira Deeming leaves the Federal Court after her defamation win against Victorian Liberal Leader John Pesutto. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

“I just think (Deeming’s legal win) sends a message to everybody who thinks that they can silence women by using the most egregious, defamatory terms for us like Nazi,” the mother-of-four said.

“It was to silence the message of all the women who came (to the rally).

While she’s yet to speak to Ms Deeming since her legal victory, Ms Keen said when reflecting on the historical legal win in 10 years time, it “will be a pivotal moment for Australia”.

Women's rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen. Picture: Nigel Howard

Ms Keen, 50, has plans to return to Australia in the coming months and hold more Let Women Speak rallies in cities including Melbourne, in a bid to continue her campaign for safe spaces for women and ensure women’s rights are protected.

“This has been a very hard-fought battle,” she said.

“I would love to [return to Australia] but I’ve had my last two visa applications refused.

“I am sure there are ordinary people up and down Australia who are not persuaded that women talking about not wanting penises in their spaces are Nazis”.

Justice David O’Callaghan ruled in the Federal Court in Melbourne on Thursday that Mr Pesutto defamed Ms Deeming as a Nazi sympathiser and ordered he pay $300,000 in damages.

Protest groups face off in front of the Victorian Parliament where UK far right activist Kellie-Jay Keen and MP Moira Deeming made a speech to protesters in 2023. Picture: YouTube

Ms Deeming, Ms Keen and another women’s rights activist, Angie Jones, all successfully sued Pesutto for defamation after he accused them of being associated with Nazis following their Let Women Speak rally held in Melbourne in March last year.

A group of masked neo-Nazis gatecrashed the event in Melbourne and gave the Nazi salute, however the women had no involvement with them.

No damages were paid to Ms Keen and Ms Jones but Mr Pesutto did apologise to the women and he paid the legal fees for the pair which cost $50,000.

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Ms Keen said Mr Pesutto should stand down immediately from his position as Victorian opposition leader – he has refused to do so since the court judgment was handed down.

“I’m just waiting for his replacement now,” Ms Keen said.

The women’s rights activist also said despite having a fondness for Australia that the nation had sadly been captured by the “woke virus”.

“It’s the first place I’ve ever landed and said to my husband, ‘I think I could live here’,” Ms Keen said.

“There’s just something really optimistic and hopeful and lovely about Australia and I think that is both to its advantage and disadvantage and I think that’s maybe why the woke virus has taken hold so badly.

“A lot of Australians think everything is great, there’s no problem and I’m wondering whether that might be the downfall at the moment”.

Kellie-Jay Keen in her home studio near Bath. Picture: Nigel Howard

Ms Keen also said there’s been a noticeable shift away from describing “women’s rights activists” as “anti-trans” in the media and “that’s quite a positive outcome”.

She said the important messages delivered at the Let Women Speak rally in Melbourne last year “got lost” after the event was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis but that shouldn’t stop further events from going ahead.

“I’m a big fan of people protesting and people’s democratic right to protest,” she said.

“All the protesters who don’t like women speaking, they can come back out again (when I return) and everyone can see what democracy looks like,” she said.

In the UK last week the Labour Government announced it would ban the sale and supply of puberty blockers via private prescriptions for gender dysphoria in the UK for under 18s, after they were banned under the National Health Service (NHS) in March.

Ms Keen hit out at the availability of puberty blockers, which remain legal in Australia.

“I say it’s profound child abuse, I don’t say that lightly,” she said.

“To destroy the sexual functionality of a child is evil”.

Originally published as Kellie-Jay Keen vows to return to Australia, praises Moira Deeming for legal win against John Pesutto