Far-right Canadian activists who had their speaking event in New Zealand cancelled last minute are now asking ticket buyers to consider donating the price of attendance to them.
Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux Photo: Supplied / YouTube screen shot
Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux were due to speak at the start of the month at The Powerstation, but the venue owner cancelled the booking following public outcry.
They were also previously slated to perform at the Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland, but were banned from speaking at Auckland Council venues.
The pair are known for their extreme and polarising views on topics such as feminism, gender, immigration and Islam.
In a message to ticket holders, Mr Molyneux said they tried to look for alternative places to speak.
"We had contacted a number of other venues as backups, but I imagine largely due to the hysteria about us spewed out by the mainstream media - well let us just say the welcome mat was not exactly rolled out for our event," he said.
Mr Molyneux said it was tragic and heartbreaking that the pair were not able to meet everyone in Auckland.
"Both Lauren and I were devastated - we thoroughly enjoyed the Australian leg of our tour - and we were greatly looking forward to meeting and engaging with everyone in Auckland," he said.
Mr Molyneux said it was a financial blow to them for the event to be cancelled after flight costs, a specialised security team and paying immigration lawyers.
He said if anyone was happy to donate the cost of their ticket to the pair, that would be appreciated.
