Protest ended after police failed to contain counter-protesters

Let Women Speak organiser Silver Moon said the authorities had "failed in their duty of care to enable safe, unhindered, lawful assembly, and freedom of speech".

She said about 30 people came to her March 21 protest, demanding a change to sex self-ID laws that allow biological men to enter female-only spaces, such as change rooms and women's prisons, as well as a review of the state's "affirmation-only" approach to gender-questioning youth.

But the protest was dwarfed by a much larger and noisier group of counter-protesters who approached.

None of the protest participants, including main speaker British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, could be heard over the din of the counter-protesters that eventually surrounded the group.

According to Ms Moon, the counter-protest, organised by Equality Tasmania, were only permitted to demonstrate in the Gladstone quadrant of the Parliament House lawns, some distance from her protest at the steps leading to the parliament carpark.

But on the day, police failed to enforce that condition, she said, resulting in her protest being disrupted and participants bullied and intimidated.

Ms Moon also said her protest was hindered by intimidation of the companies she contracted to provide security and a public address system.

She said the first security company she contracted, Launceston-based Essential Security, cancelled just prior to the event's start, forcing her to hire another firm at short notice.

Ms Moon said the first provider contracted for a public address system withdrew several days before the planned event, while the second company, Scenechange, cancelled on the morning of the event.

Scenechange owner Adam Cox denied the decision was a result of intimidation by counter-protesters and said he cancelled the order over fear of damage to the equipment at the protest.

In her letter to the Premier on Friday, Ms Moon asked for a parliamentary inquiry to investigate why police and parliamentary officers did not take better steps to ensure event participants were not prevented from "exercising their right to freedom of speech and lawful assembly without obstruction, intimidation, harassment and bullying".

She also requested that parliament officers moved to sanction Equality Tasmania for breaching the protest conditions, and has called for a review of the penalties imposed on parties that break the protest rules.

In emailed comments that did not address any of the concerns about the breach of the conditions of the counter-protest, Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rose Boccalatte criticised the actions of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker.

"Posie Parker's views are so objectionable that a wide range of people sought to protest against her, including people not associated with Equality Tasmania," she said.

"Ms Parker is known for extremism and abuse so participants in her rally can't plead ignorance ... [her] words, and her supporters' enabling of those words, are a potential breach of the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Act."

A police spokesperson did not answer questions regarding enforcement of the counter-protest conditions, but said said officers were present to separate the two groups to ensure public safety was maintained.

The Premier did not responded to requests for comment by deadline.

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