今日吃瓜

Upsetting footage has been circulated online of police forcibly and violently removing marchers in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, with once participant alleging they were “grabbed by the neck and thrown to the floor” while peacefully marching.

This is unfortunately a common story at Mardi Gras in previous years, with the policing at the Parade described as “intensive and aggressive”, with regular calls from the community for police to be disinvited from marching in the parade as a result.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was ideated in 1978, as a protest about police brutality against the LGBTQIA+ community.

Reports say that some parade participants, some of whom were associated with the Pride in Protest (PiP) group, others who were not, were physically removed by police.

One allegation stated this was regarding holding a Palestinian flag. There are no rules against holding a Palestinian flag in Sydney.

However, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson refutes this point, saying that the PiP float was removed due to their refusal to remove public commentary about another community group before the march. In a statement to Star Observer, he adds:

“This is not censorship or about suppressing a political viewpoint. Pride in Protest has marched for many years under the banner of 鈥淣o Pride In Genocide鈥� and Mardi Gras provided that space. This is about conduct including harassment of other participants and refusal to comply or acknowledge agreed terms and conditions.”

Another video reports that participants of he Drag Kings float were forcibly moved on, with one member “violently assaulted” by the police.

“I will not be marching, and I will be pressing charges,” said the parade participant.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Witnesses online have alleged that police used “aggressive force” to remove legitimate parade participants. In a statement to Star Observer, one attendee said that they and other “anti genocide” parade attendees were targeted and attacked.

An additional statement, delivered to Star Observer by a parade participant who was marching in Mardi Gras for the first time 鈥� and is not and never has been affiliated with Pride in Protest 鈥� said that they were a peaceful participant and were “thrown into a fence”. They also stated that around 14 people were involved in the incident.

However NSW Police stated that the 鈥渇our people, who were part of a group previously removed from participating in the parade, were arrested for a breach of the peace on Liverpool Street, Sydney.鈥�

 

View this post on Instagram

 

—

鈥淭hey were removed from the parade ground and were issued with move on directions, which they complied with. No charges were laid as a result of the incident.鈥�

Star Observer has contacted the NSW Police for further comment.

The removal of Pride in Protest aligned floats come after the activist group’s float was officially banned from the Mardi Gras Parade on the Friday evening before.

Pride in Protest received a letter from SGLMG CEO Jesse Matheson demanding the group 鈥渄elete or retract鈥� social media posts critical of , a Sydney-based Jewish LGBTQIA+ social group.