Kellie-Jay Keen delivers scathing review of high-stakes defamation case
Let Women Speak activist slams legal arguments in latest online address as Moira Deeming's court battle with Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto draws to an end.
Kellie-Jay Keen has spoken out following the conclusion of the high-profile defamation trial involving expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming and Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto.
Kellie-Jay Keen has spoken out following the conclusion of the high-profile defamation trial involving expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming and Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto.
The trial, which has captured national attention, focused on the aftermath of a Let Women Speak rally in March 2023, where Nazi salutes were performed by uninvited attendees who gatecrashed the event.
In a livestream following the trial's conclusion, Keen passionately defended Deeming, expressing her disdain for Pesutto's legal team's assertions.
"The whole case is really, genuinely, and I don't mean to bring myself up here, the whole case is how significant is Kellie Jay Keen and is she a Nazi? Has she ever spoken to a Nazi? Does she drink water like a Nazi? Has she ever brushed past a Nazi? Is anyone she's ever talked to been accused of being a Nazi, sat on a bus near someone who once sat on a bus near someone else who once drank water from the same stream as Hitler did as a child?" she exclaimed, critiquing the arguments put forth by Pesutto’s barrister, Matt Collins KC. Keen characterised the allegations as an absurd attempt to smear Deeming and undermine the rally's purpose.
Keen, who appeared at the Melbourne rally alongside Deeming, stressed that the trial's focus on alleged associations with Nazis was a diversion from the true issues at stake.
"We didn't know they were there ... In fact, we thought we'd been told that there were some men in black. We assumed they were Antifa. We had no idea who they were," she stated, mocking the premise that such a loose association could equate to endorsement of extremist views.
In a court far far away a learned man seriously suggests changing the words "in love" to "a terf" from Brigadoon makes me practically guilty of genocide.
— Kellie-Jay Keen (@ThePosieParker) October 24, 2024
Wait until he hears what I'm going to do to Cabaret..... #DeemingvPesutto https://t.co/onf8k3b8OD
Throughout her reaction, Keen highlighted the integrity and articulation of Deeming's barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, noting her efforts to counter Pesutto’s narrative.
"You should be looking to the likes of Moira Deeming and Sue Chrysanthou to really see what integrity, intelligence and just marvelously articulate," she remarked, praising their performances during the trial.
Keen also expressed frustration over the media’s portrayal of the rally, arguing that it overshadowed the voices of women seeking to be heard. "Imagine we lived in a slightly different world, a slightly different press ... rather than focusing on the men that wanted all the attention, focused on that woman. Imagine that. Just imagine," she mused, referring to the powerful speeches delivered by female participants.
"Nothing, no one and nothing, not a single person or ego or anything is more important than every woman who attends and every woman who speaks."
Justice David O'Callaghan is expected to hand down his decision on the case by the end of 2024.
