HRLA client and Canadian free speech activist Chris Elston (Billboard Chris) has been threatened with arrest by Queensland police and fined by Brisbane City Council while having street conversations in Brisbane. 

The incident, which was filmed and posted online with now over a million views, drew international attention and even of X (Twitter) owner Elon Musk commenting “Are you okay?”

Chris released a statement along with the video, saying that the “police in Brisbane have used force to remove me from a public street, but declined to press charges.” He went on:

“All I did, as usual for the past 4.5 years, was stand quietly by myself in the corner of the square, having conversations only with those who approach me.

He told me to move and I refused because I know my rights. I’m on a public street and I can have conversations.

He then issued me an $806 fine. I gladly accepted it. He ordered me to move again. I again declined. Then the police came. They debated for about 45 minutes what to do with me, before eventually saying I would be arrested and charged if I refused to move.”

The incident highlights a concerning trend involving the use of police, government overreach and the courts to intimidate campaigners and advocates into silence when they oppose certain ideologies such as gender ideology. 

Chris, who gained worldwide attention for travelling the world raising awareness of the dangers and harmful effects of puberty blockers on children, is in Australia ahead of his court case beginning next week. 

As we wrote recently, Chris is taking the eSafety Commissioner to court after a post on X was removed by X following a direction from the Commissioner. 

Chris is arguing that this direction represents an attack on free speech.

Talking about the upcoming court date, HRLA’s Principal Lawyer John Steenhof says that Chris’s case is important for all Australians, because it “strikes at the heart of freedoms in Australia.”

“We are unique in the Western world having a government agency that now can censor speech under the Online Safety Act.

“It’s a matter that involves a really important discussion and debate that’s going on right now all around the West, which is gender ideology, and how we are treating our young children. 

“Billboard Chris is on the forefront of advocacy for this space. For him to be shut out of what is a very important public conversation is concerning and worrying.”

One Nation federal Senator Malcolm Roberts also posted on social media following the events in Brisbane, calling on the Queensland Premier David Crisafulli to “clarify the legal basis for these threats with a formal statement.”

Chris’s court date begins on March 31 and will run until April 4, with legal support from both HRLA and ADF international.