A meet-and-greet with popular influencer and TikTok star Anna Paul has been postponed due to security concerns.
Paul, 23, was due to host a fan event at Westfield Mall in Sydney’s city center on Saturday as part of her partnership with STAX Activewear.
But it will not go ahead after NSW Police said the venue could not accommodate the large number of people expected.
A meet-and-greet with popular influencer and TikTok star Anna Paul (pictured) has been postponed due to security concerns
“The meet and greet has been postponed!” Paul announced this on Instagram on Thursday.
“Due to the overwhelming response from you, we have decided to reschedule this Saturday’s meet and greet to a date early in the New Year.
“We worked with the police all day to make it work, but they said the Sydney Westfield wouldn’t be able to hold you all.”
Paul, 23, was due to host a fan event at Westfield Mall in Sydney’s city center on Saturday as part of her partnership with STAX Activewear. (She is pictured with her brother Atis Paul on the left and boyfriend Glen Thomson on the right.)
Paul, one of OnlyFans’ most popular Australians, said another event would be held in early 2023 at a bigger venue that “could accommodate bigger numbers”.
“You know safety comes first,” she added.
‘STAX is opening the “Anna Paul Pop-Up Shop” on Saturdays in Westfield Sydney for another two weeks where you can buy my collection.
‘I am sorry. I was looking forward to meeting you this weekend, but if the police say there are too many people there is nothing I can do.”
Paul announced on Instagram that the event would not go ahead after NSW Police said the venue could not accommodate the large number of people expected
It comes after Paul’s meet-and-greet in Perth’s city center was shut down by West Australian police in August when it descended into chaos.
The police said they had no choice but to intervene and told Paul they had not seen such scenes since Justin Bieber last performed a concert there.
Hundreds of teenagers flocked to the store to catch a glimpse of the internet celebrity, who has been described as ‘Australia’s Kim Kardashian’.
When the crowd got out of control, the police intervened and ended the event after some participants were crushed and trampled.
Paul took to social media a day later to apologize for Perth’s “accidental downtime” and explained why they had to cancel the event on the spur of the moment.
She also defended STAX, the fashion label that organized the event, after it faced backlash from angry customers over organizing the day.
An emotional Paul insisted that STAX and their security team notified the police in advance after a similar event in Melbourne attracted hundreds more fans than expected.
It comes after Paul’s meet-and-greet in Perth’s city center was shut down by West Australian police in August when it descended into chaos.
“Before Perth we were like, ‘Let’s call the police, get extra security and get everybody ready,'” she said.
“The police knew from the beginning. They loved it! They said, “Let’s do it, we’re here for you.” The police were on our side.
“STAX ordered so much security that I thought it was excessive. We started the meet and greet, and it went well for the first 20 minutes, but then the police said, “We’ve got to shut it down. There’s just too many people there.”
‘The last time [they] saw something like this was for a justin bieber concert. They said: “We have never seen anything like this and for safety reasons we have to close it down.”
Paul later took to social media a day later to apologize for Perth’s “accidental closure” and explain why they had to cancel the event immediately
She said STAX management offered to pay for extra security, which police refused.
“They said, ‘We can’t keep this going for 20 seconds. I’m sorry, we have to close it,’” Paul recalls.
“The reason we then worked with the police to shut it down as quickly as possible is because we didn’t want anything bad to happen, because your safety is our top priority.
“We were so disappointed and feel like we let you down, but we wanted to make the event free. We didn’t want you to pay to visit us.”
Paul said she didn’t expect so many fans to come to her meet-and-greets across the country
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Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
