Boobs on Bikes could be returning to Tauranga in retaliation
to the city council giving itself more power to stop parades
that were offensive or created disorder.
The council has beefed up the bylaw that deals with parades
following the furore created by the topless procession in
August 2011.
But the new provisions in the Street Use and Public Place
Bylaw have been scorned by Auckland porn king Steve Crow.
"I am flattered. It will make absolutely no difference to me
whatsoever - if I want to run a parade, I will do it," he
told the Bay of Plenty Times.
Mr Crow, who had not been planning to bring Boobs on Bikes to
Tauranga this year, says the council had more or less forced
his hand.
"It now sounds like Tauranga is a must. I believe in freedom
of expression and the Bill of Rights. I will see them in
court, like I saw the Auckland City Council in court and
won."
The review of the bylaw resulted in the council this week
strengthening its powers to refuse permission to a parade.
One of the grounds was if the parade gave rise to "some
public disorder" and whether, viewed objectively, it had a
reasonable likelihood of dissuading others from enjoying
their right to use a public space. It would also consider the
impact the parade had on the normal use of the street, the
expected number of participants and the duration of the
parade.
The council said permission may be refused if the council
reasonably believed the activity was likely to unreasonably
impede traffic or pedestrians, cause a nuisance, endanger
public safety or be offensive.
Council's corporate solicitor Joanne Gread said the bylaw had
been drafted with the help of a legal firm which had looked
at various issues and case law on parades and assemblies.
Councillor Larry Baldock, who was at the forefront of the
unsuccessful attempt to stop Boobs on Bikes in 2011, said the
council had done all it could to put itself in the best
position to represent the public's views in any future
application.
He said the words "some public disorder" meant it did not
have to be the threat of a full blown riot. "It will probably
end up in court anyway."
- John Cousins of the Bay of Plenty Times
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