Police are investigating an anti-co-governance meeting after a woman was injured and "threatening" texts were sent.
The Stop Co-Governance meeting, organised by Julian Batchelor, was held at the Rose City Aquatic Clubrooms in Palmerston North on Saturday night. A protest was also staged against it, with those wanting to show up asked to bring signs and "things that make loud noise", according to a social media post of one person attending.
In videos posted online, one protester at the meeting, who is identified only as Victoria, is seen in one video holding up a sign saying "Hate speech is not free speech" and blowing a whistle.
One man then grabs the top of her head and tries to take the whistle out of her mouth. Another man then grabs her by the ankle and starts dragging her out of the venue.
As this is happening, a person is heard saying, 'Pull her pants down'.
Later in the video, multiple people are seen crowding her and taking hold of her arms as they take her outside.
In a second video taken outside the venue, Victoria spoke to someone who was also part of the protest. She said she managed to "sneak in" with her sign and only got her placard out when Batchelor started talking.
Then, she said, at least three men grabbed and dragged her.
"The final man was dragging me out by the leg and by my jeans and they were coming down and people were shouting, 'Pull her pants off'. It is disgusting," Victoria said.
"When they were trying to grab the whistle, it's been bleeding in here [by my teeth]. I feel like my teeth are loose or definitely sore in the bottom teeth."
A police spokesperson told Newshub officers attended the meeting to ensure it ran smoothly.
Officers were outside when someone came out of the meeting with a minor injury. After speaking with the woman, they found she was injured after she was "forcibly removed by members of the public".
Additionally, before the event started on Saturday, police received a report that a person who planned to go to the meeting received "threatening" texts.
Enquiries into the texts and the woman's injuries are ongoing, the police spokesperson said.
"Police recognise the lawful right to protest, and our role in such a situation is the maintenance of the law and to keep the peace," the spokesperson said.
"Ultimately, security arrangements are the responsibility of the organiser of respective events."
Newshub has contacted Batchelor for comment.
