If crypto-fascists can be allowed into the country – a human rights legend like Chelsea Manning should be allowed to as well – this is what free speech looks like!

ByMartyn Bradbury

I am incredibly excited about going to see Chelsea Manning speak in Auckland next month (please get tickets here).

She is a human rights legend, her actions led to the world seeing the truth of the evil war crimes the United States of America were secretly conducting in their Iraq abortion. On top of this bravery of conscience, she courageously transitioned while in prison.

Chelsea is the kind of human being we should all try to aspire to, she was prepared to whistle blow against real evil and then set out on that most personal of journey’s to find who she truly was.

What. A. Legend.

So it is terribly disgraceful of the hypocritical National Party to come out and demand she have her visa revoked and refuse her entry here…

National’s Michael Woodhouse calls for whistleblower Chelsea Manning to be banned from New Zealand
National has called for US whistleblower Chelsea Manning to be banned from speaking in New Zealand because of her criminal record.

Manning, a former US Army intelligence analyst, is due to speak at events in Auckland and Wellington on September 9 and 10.

She served seven of a 35-year prison sentence for theft and espionage after releasing hundreds of thousands of classified or sensitive documents to Wikileaks.

National’s immigration spokesman and former minister Michael Woodhouse said Manning was convicted and sentenced to prison for using her position to steal hundreds of thousands of documents and release them.

…I say hypocritical because barely a month ago the National Party were championing free speech when it came to two crypto-facsists visiting NZ, National now claim the difference is that Chelsea has broken the law, well so did Nelson Mandela, would they be demanding he didn’t visit as well?

Chelsea Manning exposed war crimes, Molyneux and Southern peddle petty psudeo-science bigotry, for National to champion one and damn the other is hypocrisy of the worst kind!

There isn’t just hypocrisy from the Right on this, watching those on the woke left demanding free speech now with Chelsea when barely a month ago they were screaming censorship shows the intellectual bankruptcy that has overcome so many in this debate.

This is why I defend free speech, yes we should have the right to protest those who use that speech to cause bitterness and spite, but when we deplatform, we open the door for the right to play the same game.

Manning should speak and I look forward to reviewing her show.

Buy tickets now!

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39 Comments

  1. Politurd elites should butt out of the free speech arguments until further notice. The power imbalance is astounding. Big bullies enjoying super amplification themselves and without even anything useful to bring to the table anyway. To concern themselves about the remarks of minor characters far beneath them on the privilege scale, is oafishly crass. You just stick to your knitting govt it’s our job to analyse, and you’re not competent to do so, because of your position. That is, conceited criminals so stuffed with vanity they think they have unlimited power. Banning people here, cats there, ramming long term visions down people’s throats. Witness the infinite madness that comes with playing god and realize how threatening it is

  2. I don’t think this is necessarily a free speech issue yet – that’s part of it for sure, especially when actually in NZ but it may not be the primary issue right now. So far this seems more like a test of which convictions prevent you from visiting NZ and which ones won’t. From the immigration website:

    “Serious character issues:
    You can’t be granted a visa if you:
    —have ever been convicted of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 5 years or more …”

    Although the sentence was commuted, Manning was convicted and sentenced to 35 years.

  3. “Crypto-fascists”
    Oh, please…Anarcho-capitalism, the ideology Molyneux subscribes to, is about as ideologically opposed to fascism as you can get: It is anti-state, anti-identitarian, anti-dictatorial and individualistic. But keep throwing vilifying buzzwords around, Bomber, you “Crypto-commie”

  4. Anyone expecting consistency from National and rightwing fuckwits like Mike Hosking is delusional. I’ve got more but I just can’t be arsed anymore.

    Nigel Farage can come and go. He is irrelevant.

  6. +100 Great Post …Absolutely!….we are not China or the USA !

    ….of course Chelsea Manning should be allowed in to speak!

    (love the ladder in her stocking)

  7. re “Molyneux and Southern peddle petty psudeo-science bigotry”…and are “two crypto-facsists”…actually disagree with this description

    …they make many points which should be raised and discussed rationally

    …you can disagree with them and bring up counter arguments and counter science but they are not stupid nor are they violent and they express themselves well

    ( many of the questions they bring up have been brought up in the past in universities)

  8. “Crypto-fascists”? I swear to GOD, I have no idea what that means.

    Is it something to do with cypherpunks who advocate widespread use of cryptography and privacy-enhancing technologies as a route to social and political change?

    Something to do with crypto-currencies? I’ve seen the term used by TDB before, I’ve tried to google it and I’m still confused ..

    Can someone please explain what “Crypto-fascists” means, thank you, I’ll keep checking back for an answer.

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