New Zealand Official Hit In Face With Flying Penis By TPP Protester [Video]


Politics can be unpredictable if you’re a New Zealand official, something Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce discovered first hand while speaking to the press about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). During Minister Joyce’s on-air interview, he was suddenly and without warning struck in the face by a flying sex toy Friday.

The reason for the seemingly inexplicable assault of the New Zealand official? According to the woman who threw the sex toy with such remarkable accuracy, it was tossed at the face of the New Zealand Economic Development Minister to protest against the TPP. One News Now reports that when she threw the faux penis, the protester shouted at the New Zealand official “that’s for raping our sovereignty.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJOPFhjEDoY

Not surprisingly, the premeditated attack-with-a-rubber-penis took Minister Joyce, the members of the media, and all others in attendance at the Waitingi press conference completely off guard. The protester, who was later identified as one Josie Butler, was immediately removed from the press conference by police.

Butler is not new to the protest scene. One News Now reports that she was also in attendance at another New Zealand protest, which took place in Christchurch last weekend. There, she protested the TPP from her vehicle along with about 100 other drivers. During her previous protest, Butler reportedly explained that she felt it was important to take a stand against the controversial agreement. Especially for someone in her profession: nursing.

“I am worried about patient rights because of the price of medications going up.”

While Butler was quickly scuttled off from the scene of the rubber penis assault, New Zealand official Steven Joyce was reportedly no worse off for his experience, telling those in attendance that he was “fine.”

New Zealand Protester
[Photo by @adaptivethemes/Twitter]
The flying penis hit Joyce in the mouth before ricocheting off of a nearby female reporter’s breasts and falling to the ground, reports The New York Post. Immediately prior to being struck, the New Zealand official had been touting the societal benefits of the TPP, despite the fact that the details of the agreement have been kept very secretive even as the agreement is being negotiated and public support highly sought.

Following his encounter with the flying penis, the New Zealand Economic Development Minister hastily finished his press conference and made a quick exit from the event.

Despite what must have been an embarrassing experience, Joyce definitely kept his wits and humor about him when questioned about the incident by New Zealand media, who asked him if the experience was a first for him.

“Yes, it would be fair to say, under any circumstances…It would be unfortunate for being known for this incident.”

New Zealand Official
[Photo by @EducorNZ/Twitter]
Unfortunately for the New Zealand politician, it seems to be a bit too late to remain unknown for this incident. Immediately following the penis attack, social media erupted. Joyce even took to Twitter to poke a bit of fun at himself.

Several searches related to the New Zealand officials public debacle quickly began to trend, including “Steven Joyce” and #dildogate. Social media users the world over worked to come up with the most humorous quips, puns and one-liners related to the flying New Zealand rubber penis.

Steven Joyce’s good nature seemed genuine. He made several additional lighthearted statements to the media about his experience, but ultimately didn’t insist upon taking legal action against his protesting assailant. Josie Butler was detained for a brief period of time by authorities, but ultimately she was released without charges, reports The Huffington Post.

“We actually thought it was a little bit humorous at the end of it all. New experiences in politics every day; it’s the privilege of serving.”

While the flying penis assault on New Zealand’s Steven Joyce is a bit of a humorous diversion, the TPP is ever-closer to becoming a reality. If it passes, it will unite the U.S., Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru in a trade agreement. Politicians and private citizens alike are calling it one of the biggest international trade deals in history, and politicians the world over have been mum on the specifics. The one-woman protest against a single New Zealand official wasn’t the first protest against the TPP, and it’s unlikely to be the last.

[Image Courtesy Of @RadioHauraki/Twitter]

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