Summarised by Centrist
The trial of Liz Gunn and Jonathan Clark took place in the Manukau District Court. The pair faced charges of trespass and resisting arrest following an incident at Auckland International Airport, where they were filming unvaccinated travellers.
Journalist Steve Braunias doles out criticism in equal measure on both, what he calls the “unnecessary torture of the seemingly messianic Liz Gunn” and of Gunn herself.
“(T)o encounter Liz Gunn in the wild is, in my opinion, to think oh please shut up,” he writes.
He references poet Alexander Pope in describing Gunn’s trial as breaking a butterfly on a wheel, but describes the “conspiracy hobbyist” as overbearing and xenophobic.
In particular Braunias describes Gunn’s interaction with the airport staff, calling her “a little Indian girl” alleging she did not understand how things are done in New Zealand.
Gunn’s defence argued that her actions were not aggressive and that she was simply exercising her right to film in a public place.
Ultimately the judge dismissed the trespass charges but allowed the assault and resisting arrest charges to proceed. The case finished on Friday, but judgement has been reserved. The verdict is expected to have implications for the debate on civil liberties in the country.
Read more over at NZ Herald (Paywalled)
