Controversial UK activist Kellie-Jay Keen leads Brisbane protest

Controversial activist Kellie-Jay Keen has rallied alongside locals in inner-city Brisbane, just hours after an earlier protest against her arrival in Australia.

Activists gathered for a “gender critical” women’s rights rally in Brisbane Square on Sunday following an earlier demonstration at King George Square by trans-rights groups protesting the arrival of controversial activist Kellie-Jay Keen to Australia.

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

A heavy police presence surrounded the demonstration of approximate 150 people led by Ms Keen.

Demonstrators held signs reading “sex not gender,” and “sex matters hurt feelings don’t,” and repeatedly yelled “women are adult human females”.

Kelly Jay Keen

Ms Keen told the crowd that she doesn’t “think trans is a thing” and described it as a “dirty fetish” and “cult.”

“If we can change this country, if you can turn it around, you get to be the country that leads the fight back throughout the globe,” she said.

She urged Australian politicians to push forward with anti-trans rhetoric

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“If I was a politician right now in Australia I’d be thinking ‘I can either be the person that leads this now, speaks up now and end up being the prime minister because I’m a leader, I will be the first or I can be a sheep,” she said.

“This is a women’s vote winner. If you tell us you won’t slice our daughters, you won’t change our kids’ names, you’ll protect our children, you’ll keep speaking the truth, you’ll look after our spaces, we will vote for you,” she said.

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves spoke out against the trans movement in last year’s federal election. Ms Deves gained just 32.4 per cent of the first preference vote in the seat of Warringah, suffering a swing of -6.6 per cent.

Equal Love Brisbane, the National Union of Students Queer/LGBTI and Campaign Against Racism and Fascism Brisbane were the organisers of the earlier Fight the Right rally who aimed to expose Ms Keen’s links with the “far Right who turn out in droves to support her.”

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“These people aren’t advocates for women’s rights, they’re advocates for attacking the rights of women and transgender people, as part of a far right agenda,” the National Union of Students Queer/LGBTI said in a statement.

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Equal Love detailed links Ms Keen has with Proudboy activists, Hungarian politician and Holocaust denier Hans Lysglimt Johansen, Canadian white-supremacist Jean-François Gariépy and American talk show host Tucker Carlson.

“Let’s show Keen that Brisbane sees through her bigoted bulls**t - we stand with trans people and against the right,” the Facebook rally event page said.

Protesters gather in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Originally published as Controversial UK activist Kellie-Jay Keen leads Brisbane protest