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A meet-and-greet with popular influencer and TikTok star Anna Paul has been postponed due to security concerns.
Paul, 23, was set to host a fan event at Westfield mall in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday as part of her partnership with STAX activewear.
But it will not go ahead after NSW police said the venue would not be able to accommodate the large number of people expected to attend.
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 postpone this Saturday’s meet-and-greet to a date early in the new year.
“We worked all day with the police to make it work, but they said the Sydney Westfield wouldn’t be able to hold you all.”
Paul, 23, was set to host a fan event at Westfield mall in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday as part of her partnership with STAX activewear. (She is pictured with her brother Atis Paul, left, and friend Glen Thomson, right)
Paul, one of the most popular Australians on OnlyFans, said another event will be held in early 2023 at a larger venue that can “facilitate larger numbers.”
“You know safety is the number one priority,” she added.
‘STAX is still opening the “Anna Paul Pop-Up Shop” on Saturdays in Westfield Sydney for two weeks where you can buy my collection.
‘I’m so sorry. I was so excited to meet you this weekend, but if the police say there would be too many people, there’s nothing I can do.’
Paul announced on Instagram that the event would not take place after NSW Police said the venue was unable to accommodate the large number of people expected to attend
It comes after Paul’s meet-and-greet in Perth’s CBD was shut down by Western Australia police in August as it descended into chaos.
Police said they had no choice but to step in and tell Paul they hadn’t seen scenes like this since Justin Bieber last performed a concert there.
Hundreds of teens had flocked to the store to see the internet celebrity, described as “Australian Kim Kardashian.”
As the crowd spiraled out of control, police intervened and shut down the event after some attendees were crushed and trampled.
Paul jumped onto social media a day later to apologize for Perth’s ‘accidental shutdown’ and explained why they had to cancel the event in the blink of an eye.
She also defended STAX, the fashion label that organized the event, after it faced backlash from angry customers over the organization of the day.
An emotional Paul insisted that STAX and her security team give police advance notice after a similar event in Melbourne drew hundreds more fans than expected.
It comes after Paul’s meet-and-greet in Perth’s CBD was shut down by Western Australia police in August as it descended into chaos
“Before Perth, we were like, ‘Let’s tell the police, get extra security and get everybody ready,’” she said.
“The police knew it from the start. They were thrilled! They were like, “Let’s do it, we’re here for you.” The police were on our side.
“STAX ordered so much security I thought it was overkill. We started with the meet-and-greet, and it went well for the first 20 minutes, but then the police said, “We’ve got to shut this down. There’s just too many people.”
‘The last time [they] saw something like this was for a Justin Bieber concert. They said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before and we have to shut this down for security reasons.”
Paul later jumped onto social media a day later to apologize for Perth’s ‘accidental shutdown’ and explained why they were forced to cancel the event in the blink of an eye
She said STAX management had offered to pay for additional security, which was rejected by police.
“They said, ‘We can’t let it go on for another 20 seconds. I’m sorry we have to shut it down,'” Paul recalled.
“The reason why 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 number one priority.
“We were so disappointed and we feel like we let you down, but we wanted to make the event free. We didn’t want you to have to pay to come see us.’
Paul said she didn’t expect so many fans to attend her meet-and-greets across the country