7 Oct 2015

Boobs On Bikes 'just shameless advertising'

3:01 pm on 7 October 2015

Anti-pornography campaigners have used the Boobs on Bikes parade in downtown Auckland to flash their own messages.

Steve Crow leads the way in the 2015 Boobs on Bikes parade.

Steve Crow leads the way in the 2015 Boobs on Bikes parade. Photo: Radio NZ / Kim Baker Wilson

The contentious topless spectacle features local women and international porn stars riding on the back of motorbikes.

A van load of people from Kaikohe in the Far North were among the attendees - but they weren't there for the topless women.

Mike Shaw, from Men Against Sexual Violence, said pornography was harmful and "filmed prostitution".

"If we had someone advertising drugs on the main street of Auckland during the school holidays there'd be an outcry.

"These aren't real women... our Kiwi mums and sisters and aunties... the whole thing is fabricated to actually promote pornography."

The parade, organised by pornographer Steve Crow, often happens before another of his events - the adults-only Erotica Expo.

"It's nothing to do with freedom of expression, nothing to do with liberty or anything like that, it's just shameless advertising," said Mr Shaw.

Anti-pornography campaigners start their march before the Boobs on Bikes Parade.

Anti-pornography campaigners start their march before the Boobs on Bikes Parade. Photo: Radio NZ / Kim Baker Wilson

But he said the campaigners were protesting about an issue wider than the Boobs on Bikes parade, and the event was not a specific target.

"Every time your average Kiwi bloke clicks on a porn site he needs to consider that really what he's doing is fuelling demand... we want to tackle the demand side, which is the male side," he said.

Denise Ritchie from the Stop Demand Foundation said the parade gave a "great opportunity" to get its messages across.

"We want to capitalise and, if you like, gatecrash on an event to really reach an ideal target market," she said before marching with other campaigners down Queen Street.

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Photo: Radio NZ / Kim Baker Wilson

Fifteen minutes before the Boobs on Bikes parade started - Denise Ritchie, Mike Shaw and more than 20 other concerned people made their way down the street with banners and placards.

"Some people will say Boobs on Bikes, Erotica, what have they got to do with porn - the reality is Steve Crow's spent a lot of money to bring in international porn stars for this event today.

"So there is a direct link. Both of these events for him are piggy-backing off his... porn interest," Ms Ritchie said.

A senior police officer said he was unable to estimate how big the crowds lining the street were because the police had yet to debrief.