Australian influencer Anna Paul has spoken out after a meet and greet event in Perth was shut down by police due to large crowds causing safety concerns. The event, held on 28 August, was organised to launch new merchandise with clothing line Stax.
Multiple fans shared videos showing crowds pushing and shoving, with some attendees reporting difficulty breathing. TikTok user @zoeyeyeee posted that she spent hours in line and later ended up in the emergency room after fainting.
In a video on her own TikTok account, Paul said it was important that no one was seriously injured. She explained that extra security had been hired after larger-than-expected crowds in Sydney and Melbourne, but the situation in Perth escalated. She recalled police telling her: 'We have to shut this down. There’s too many people. We have never seen anything like this. The last time we saw something like this was for a Justin Bieber concert.'
Paul said she agreed with the police decision for fans' safety. She added that the event should have been ticketed and that future events would be organised for larger crowds. The Western Australia police confirmed that ambulance services were called after multiple people collapsed and that the event was closed due to lack of appropriate security and crowd management.
