A Christian men's group in New Zealand clashed with police while protesting a Pride parade in Auckland on Saturday, performing a haka in an attempt to disrupt the event. A haka is a traditional Maori dance that is used for celebrations and protests in the island nation.
Members of Destiny Church blocked the street as the parade moved through, wearing T-shirts that read “Man Up.” Protesters stood in front of a line of police officers who stood at the front of the parade between the two groups, chanting and dancing while attendees tried to drown them out by cheering.
Brian Tamaki, leader of Destiny Church, praised his followers on X, writing, “Our radical young people have had enough! Our Man Up men have had enough! Destiny Church has had enough.”
“The debauchery in the Rainbow Parade has gone on for too long! Auckland has long been overrun with this woke, rainbow agenda,” he added. “And no surprise, the boys in blue were there again... protecting their beloved rainbows.”
Tamaki also declared that the protest was “only the beginning” and invoked US President Donald Trump’s slogan, saying, “Let’s Make NZ Great Again!”
Rainbow Pride Auckland, the parade’s organizing group, condemned the protest, calling it "deeply hurtful." They expressed confidence that their supporters remained “resilient in the face of hate and violence.”
“While today has been a painful reminder of imported ideologies and the violence they bring, we remain confident in our community’s resilience,” the organization said in a statement.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown also denounced the actions of Destiny Church after a separate protest disrupted a children’s event featuring a drag king earlier in the day. At a library event, members of the group allegedly forced their way inside, pushing and punching as they protested the drag performance at the children’s show, according to the Daily Mail.
“The actions of Destiny Church today are totally unacceptable,” Brown said. “While I respect freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, to enter a council library facility that is there for all our communities to use and intimidate council staff, volunteers and community members going about their business, is completely out of line.”
