New Zealand activist Eli Rubashkyn has been convicted over two cases of assault from when she doused anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen and another woman with tomato juice.
Keen developed an online following using the name Posey Parker, and later went on to unsuccessfully run for a spot in the UK parliament.
In 2023 British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen headed to Auckland to host her Let Women Speak open-mike event. The event was held just days after Keen had seen large crowds opposing her events throughout Australia, including an incident in Melbourne where a neo-Nazi group appeared adjacent to her event to antagonise counter protesters.
As Keen live streamed her event from Auckland’s Albert Park band rotunda, hundreds of protesters surrounded her group. Activist Eli Rubashkyn, who had infiltrated Keen’s supporters doused the British provocateur with tomato juice, the liquid also hitting event organiser Tania Suzanne Sturt.
Rubanshkyn pleaded guilty to the charges but her lawyer requested a discharge without conviction arguing that the gravity of her offending was low and that she had been making a statement about Keen’s anti-transgender views.
Judge Kirsten Lummis disagreed, highlighting that the attack on Keen had been premeditated and Rubanshkyn had not submitted any apology in submissions to the court.
“I am left questioning whether there is genuinely true remorse, and I can certainly appreciate regret and that you would do things differently if you had your time again, but in terms of remorse, I’m left wondering.” the judge said.
The judge acknowledged that Rubanshkyn had faced many challenges as an intersex person, including being stabbed and shot in her home country, as well as her volunteer work in gender-diverse organisations in New Zealand. It was also noted that the activist had been subjected to many online death threats and harassment online following the incident.
The judge opted to record a conviction but not apply any additional punishments over the crimes. The charges could have seen the activist face a fine of up to NZ$4000 or a six month prison sentence.
In her victim’s statement to the court, Tania Suzanne Sturt recounted how at first she thought the liquid that his her had been acid.
““I waited for my skin to burn”. she said. “I felt terror then disgust and violation.”
Sturt shared with the court that the incident had left her with ongoing trauma that required therapy.
