Destiny Church has responded to calls and petitions for it to be stripped of its charitable status by saying it is of “no consequence” and “quite entertaining to watch”.
Controversy has swirled around the church after its Man Up and Legacy groups stormed Auckland’s Te Atatū Community Centre and library on Saturday last week to protest a children’s science show hosted by a drag king.
Around 30 young children and adults were barricaded inside during the incident, RNZ reported and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown described the protest behaviour as “thuggery”. Police “strongly condemned” the protest and confirmed it was investigating allegations of assault.
A petition, asking the House of Representatives to remove charitable status from Destiny Church, has received more than 36,000 signatures.
This morning however, a Destiny Church spokesperson told 1News it was “not concerned” about “threats” to remove its charitable status.
“We already operate a number of our larger trusts ‘without’ being registered with DIA Charities Services, including Destiny Church Auckland Trust, as we refuse to be controlled or muzzled by the government. We, therefore, do already pay income tax.
“So the calls and petitions to strip us of our charitable status is of no consequence to us, and it’s actually quite entertaining to watch them get all worked up over this.”
Labour MP for Te Atatū Phil Twyford announced on Friday that he had written to Charities Services to ask for Destiny Church to be struck off.
“Destiny is in breach of the Charities Act. This organisation should not be receiving a cent of public subsidy through tax deductibility nor the stamp of approval that registration as a charity implies.
“Numerous elected representatives and the police who have said that what they did crossed the line.
“People that were going about their lawful business, parents with very young children… were brutalised and exposed to violent and intimidating harassment.
Twyford said the leadership of the church had also “maliciously and wrongly equated, that event at the Te Atatū Peninsula Community Centre with pornography and child abuse”.
“The same people went on that night to disrupt the Pride Parade. This is a campaign of hate against a section of our community.
“I think that most New Zealanders would agree this kind of behaviour is beyond the pale.”
Political activist group People Against Prisons Aotearoa has planned a protest to “show Destiny Church that they are a tiny, hateful portion of our population” at Auckland’s Albert Park this afternoon.
A Destiny Church spokesperson said the church was “not paying any attention” to the protest.
“It’s of no consequence to us, and we don’t plan to attend. We have more important things to be focused on.”
