Bruce Lehrmann has withdrawn from the Restoring the Presumption of Innocence conference, an event scheduled for the 1st of June in the Rushcutters Bay area. The conference was set to host speakers in a discussion surrounding the alleged “fake rape crisis” and how the Australian legal is supposedly unfair in its treatment of male perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence.
The Federal Court of Australia found on Monday that, on the balance of probabilities, Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019, when they were both staff members for then-Defence Minister Senator Linda Reynolds.
The judgement was provided as part of the verdict of Lehrmann’s defamation case against media network Channel 10 and reporter Lisa Wilkinson. Lehrmann filed the defamation case after the criminal case against him was discontinued, alleging that the initial story on the incident aired on Channel 10’s The Project identified him through details provided in the segment, even though he was not named.
The judge’s findings are within the civil standard of proof, so the outcome of the case will not result in a conviction.
Lehrmann is yet to comment on the outcome of the case, or state reasons personally for his withdrawal from the Restoring the Presumption of Innocence conference.
Bettina Arndt, the organiser and promoter of the conference, alongside the organisations Australians for Science and Freedom and Mothers of Sons, have confirmed that Lehrmann will not be attending nor speaking at the event. The conference page notes Lehrmann “is being subject to extremely aggressive pursuit by the media and is concerned that his participation may threaten the audience, jeopardise this important event, and distract from its main purpose”. The event is still advertised as going ahead, and organisers have indicated they are searching for another speaker to replace Lehrmann.
Oppositional collective action is still in planning if the Restoring the Presumption of Innocence conference does take place, as is a National Rally in response to the high rates of femicide and domestic violence against women in Australia.
Credit: ABC News
