@AucklandCitizen Case Update
2 courtrooms. 7 breaks. 4 conflicting eyewitness accounts. 3 chances to drop the case.
What a day.
They say the wheels of justice turn slowly. Today, we found out just how slowly.
We arrived at the courthouse at 9am expecting a half-day trial. Instead, we got this…
No-shows delayed proceedings. Security wasn't available, so we waited an hour to changed courtrooms. Four lawyers couldn't figure out how to cast a laptop onto a TV. We were called in, sent out, called back, adjourned, sent to lunch, then repeated the process all over again.
If you wrote it into a sitcom, people would say it was unrealistic.
Nathan + @AC after his initial hearing back in December 2025. @AC holding a poster, doxxing him that was hung all around his neighbourhood by stalkers.
But enough about the circus.Let's talk about the case.
By the end of the day, the prosecution had called every one of its witnesses. Not one told exactly the same story. Memories were fuzzy. Details changed. Timelines shifted. The explanation? Time had passed.
Fair enough.
But there is one witness whose memory hasn't faded. The footage.
Two camera angles. Recorded in real time. Unedited. Unemotional. Unchanging.
Ironically, the most reliable witness in the courtroom didn't even get called today because the day disappeared into delays and procedure.
The judge made one observation that stuck with us. He spoke about common sense and questioned whether respect for civil liberties had been missing from one side of this entire affair. He also openly wondered whether this prosecution justified the time and resources being poured into it.
We've been wondering the same thing.
The Police were given three opportunities today to walk away from this prosecution. They refused every time.
I almost felt sorry for the prosecutor. Almost. He looked like a man serving a sentence rather than arguing a case. The last person I saw that miserable was my four-year-old after I asked him to clean his room.
Nathan, Arian, + @AC after his pre-trial hearing earlier in 2026. funnily enough the complainants who took such issue wth @AC filming in public were taking photos in the court house this day and of us outside!
But here's the serious point.
This case was never about feelings. It isn't about politics. It isn't about whether someone likes Auckland Citizen. The question before the Court is incredibly simple:
Did @AC break the law?
We're confident the answer is no. Anyone who has watched the footage knows why. That's why we're looking forward to presenting our case when the trial resumes.
Thank you to every one of you who donated to @AC defence. Because of your generosity, we've been able to put together an exceptional legal team, and we're confident that when all the evidence is finally before the Court, the right result will follow.
Today was a reminder that a small group of determined activists can consume enormous public resources in pursuit of someone they simply don't like.
We'll keep standing for civil liberties.
We'll keep standing for free speech.
And we'll keep standing with Auckland Citizen.
We'll see you at the next hearing.
