Are Australians really powerless to resist the efforts of social activists to close down free speech in this country?

Today a small feminist group has succeeded in shutting down a screening of a movie that discusses issues that they fear might interfere with their agenda.

What’s surprising is that these feminists are silencing a documentary The Red Pill made by an award-winning feminist filmmaker.

Cassie Jaye started interviewing leaders of the Men’s Rights Movement (MRM) intending to challenge their misogynist views but ended up impressed by their arguments on a whole range of issues she came to see as unfairly stacked against men and boys.

The result was a movie raising issues many feminists wish to keep out of the public debate and they made strenuous efforts to stop the documentary being completed. Cassie Jaye was smeared, threatened with career suicide and even saw her funding dry up.

Yet a Kickstarter fund raised a staggering $211,260, ensuring the movie’s cinematic release.

In the past month the documentary has been shown across America and many other countries, attracting reviews and commentary from major publications such as The Guardian and The Telegraph in the UK and The Village Voice and LA Times in the USA.

Mens Rights Melbourne backed the kickstarter some time ago, and has the rights to the Australian Premiere of The Red Pill.

The Red Pill was due to have its first Australian screening in Australia at the Kino, one of the Melbourne cinemas belonging to Palace Cinemas.

But today a small group of feminist agitators succeeded in persuading Palace to shut down the screening.

Here’s the letter from Palace Cinemas:

Hi David,

This email is in regards to your booking at Kino Cinemas on Sunday 6th November, 2016.

Initially, at the time of accepting the booking, we were under the impression that this would be a closed, private screening advertised to your members. As this is advertised as a public event to which you are selling tickets, we have been made aware of the wider attention the screening has attracted. Additionally, we were unaware of the content of the film. Although we are yet to see it, we have since become aware of the controversial nature of the documentary.

You may be aware of the petition that is currently circulating on Change.org asking us to cancel the proposed screening of The Red Pill. The overwhelming number of responses, many from regular Kino customers, has really resonated with us and has led us to reconsider the appropriateness of going ahead with the booking.

Much of the feedback that we have received assumes that the choice of film was our curatorial decision rather than that of the cinema hirer, which is potentially damaging to our credibility as we are yet to see the film so cannot stand by its contents in the face of the criticism we are receiving.

It’s unfortunate that it has come to this, however we have come to a decision based on the overwhelmingly negative response we have received from our valued customers. We cannot proceed with the booking at Kino Cinemas on Sunday 6th November.

Please consider this email as cancellation of the booking.

We made the cinema well aware of its content months in advance.

The activists used a change.org petition which made all sorts of inaccurate claims about the movie and attracted over 2,300 signatories despite the fact that none of these had actually viewed the film they refuse to allow Australians to see.

We are currently working on finding a new venue. Please contact Mens Rights Melbourne if you can help.

But we also urge ordinary Australians to speak out against this blatant attempt at social control by this fringe group.

People should –

· Sign this counter-petition urging Palace Cinemas to reconsider their decision.

· Spread the word about this latest effort to close down free speech in Australia

· And help us find a new venue to show the movie!