It was a poignant location for a “warm up” event in Auckland to start Counterspin Media’s “Let’s Not Forget” Tour of the country, the former New Lynn Lone Star restaurant. After lying silent and dark for 3 months, the venue was once again lit up and abuzz with a lively crowd. The carparks all around were full.
Former location of Lone Star restaurant in New Lynn
Within, a DJ kept music pumping out through speakers and Brendan Pascoe, former owner of the Lone Star franchise for that location, was behind the bar. One could almost imagine the restaurant was open again. Every table was packed with people of all ages and races, reflective of Auckland’s cosmopolitan population.
The event brought together such a diverse crowd with a common theme – injuries from covid vaccines.
The crowd before the start of the event
The queue at the bar before the speeches
An informal collection of testimonies before the event began. This is being taken on the Tour. Many were filled out by the end of the event.
The Daily Examiner spoke with a young nurse from Hong Kong, here in New Zealand on a work visa. To retain her job and thus be able to remain in the country, she took the Pfizer vaccine. Formerly in perfect health, she soon developed pain in her lower back, stopped menstruating and is currently awaiting a CT scan. She said she had moved from Hong Kong to NZ “for freedom”, i.e. to escape the communist regime. She said she was at the event both because she had been vaccine-injured and “because I don’t want NZ to become like China”.
Brendan Pascoe revealed he had had significant adverse reactions to his first Pfizer jab. That prompted personal research that contributed to the Pascoes deciding not to impose a vaccine mandate on their staff in December last year.
Speakers at the event included Elliot Ikilei (conservative commentator & former Leader of the New Conservative Party), Amy Benjamin (former senior International Law lecturer at AUT & former attorney at US Department of Justice) and Lynda Wharton (acupuncturist, naturopath and founder of Health Forum NZ). Well-known activist Damien De Ment compered the event.
Damien De Ment
Elliot Ikilei with an attendee and Kelvyn Alp (Counterspin Media)
Lynda Wharton
Amy Benjamin
Brendan & Stephanie Pascoe
Ikilei spoke about the NZ Labour Party’s ongoing erosion of democracy in NZ, with the most recent example being a Bill that is being pushed through that will change the representation of Local Government for Rotorua. The Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill seeks to alter representation that is currently prevented under the Local Electoral Act 2001. This Bill has been found to be discriminatory and would breach the NZ Bill of Rights, by the Attorney General.
The National Party’s Paul Goldsmith commented in a party release on the Attorney General’s decision that, “It would be a constitutional outrage to abandon the principle of equal suffrage (one person, one vote) by way of an obscure Local Bill, championed by a backbencher, on a rushed timetable, against strident Parliamentary opposition while knowing it is in breach of the Bill of Rights.”
Amy Benjamin expanded on the topic with an instructional speech on exactly what needs to be put in place in NZ to protect individuals’ rights. In essence, aside from an attitudinal shift to place priority on individual rights, specific changes to the NZ Bill of Rights (NZBOR) are necessary to prevent it from being regularly breached by governments. She referred to non-derogable sections to protect certain special rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to refuse medical treatment.
Interestingly, Benjamin’s scathing view of the strength of the NZ BOR contrasts with that of former National MP Matt King, who is setting up a new political party named Democracy NZ. The Daily Examiner reported on King’s event that had taken place earlier the same week, in the same electorate. The entire “bottom line” for King’s party is based on the NZBOR.
Lynda Wharton spoke about the Health Forum NZ and the many people who have contacted her with their testimonies of serious adverse reactions from covid vaccines. Some of their stories were shown on large display boards near the stage, including some who had passed away. Wharton also mentioned an account from a police officer regarding a steep increase in attendances for suicide.
Brendan and Stephanie Pascoe also took the stage to provide an account of their experience dealing with the owners of the Lone Star brand in NZ, attempting to run their business with the covid mandates and lockdowns. They still hold the lease on the property, which enabled the event to be run there. Brendan Pascoe noted that running the business as a takeaway-only business brought in revenue of $10k a week, when $40k was needed to break even. He noted that the owners of the Lone Star brand provided no franchise fee relief. Pascoe also took the opportunity to thank a few people who had helped the couple, including their landlord.
The Pascoes revealed that since the owners of the Lone Star brand terminated the franchise with them, they have had to put their house on the market and are “broke”. They have been able to pay all their employees and suppliers from the 8 days of trading they managed in January before being shut down but have nothing left. Through donations received toward their legal fund, they have begun proceedings against the owners of the Lone Star brand.
Counterspin Media has begun their Tour formally and headed north today towards their next event in Taipa, Northland. That event takes place tomorrow evening.
