‘The Tragic Sequel To The 1978 Mardi Gras’: Calls For Herzog Protest Charges To Be Dropped

The NSW Greens and 43 civil society organisations have signed an open letter to the NSW Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Police and the NSW Police Commissioner calling for all criminal charges arising from the 9 February 2026 protest of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog at Sydney Town Hall to be dropped.

The protest formed part of wider community opposition to the visit. Demonstrators were met with significant police intervention, including the use of pepper spray, physical force, mounted police and dispersal tactics.

“The scenes of peaceful protest being met with police brutality at Town Hall on 9 February 2026 remain at the forefront of our minds,” reads the letter. “Protestors were punched, dragged out, and indiscriminately pepper sprayed. Peaceful worshippers were attacked, as were protestors trying to leave. Horses and police officers charged into the crowd, while kettling and other unsafe crowd control tactics left protestors with broken bones and battered bodies. These are not scenes that belong on our streets.”

The open letter also makes the direct comparison to the 1978 Mardi Gras, calling the Herzog protest a “tragic and unnecessary sequel” and “another shameful moment in the history of policing and protest in this country.”

“Just like those arrested and charged for participating in the 1978 Mardi Gras, the charges against protestors at the Herzog rally cannot stand.”

As previously reported, several 78ers publicly said the scenes had triggered traumatic memories of the first Mardi Gras, when LGBTQ+ people were attacked by police, and 53 people were arrested and many assaulted in cells at Darlinghurst Police Station.

“I found myself reliving 24 June 1978 — the horrors, violence, and trauma inflicted by police on the 78ers that night,” Peter de Waal, founding member of CAMP, said, describing the “painful clarity” of those memories returning.

The signatories of the open letter argue that the charges now before the courts are a consequence of what they describe as unlawful policing decisions during the event. The letter specifically raises concerns about the use of the Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD) framework and the application of powers under the Major Events Act 2009. It argues that the protest was a lawful procession under the Summary Offences Act 1988 and that police intervention disrupted what organisers had notified as a peaceful assembly.

Greens NSW MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said in a statement:

“The independent investigation and oversight of 9 February by the Police-Watchdog (LECC) is being undermined by the Police continuing to pursue arrests against the community, and using excessive force. People are afraid to come forward with their stories because the next day the Police might break down your door – it’s intolerable,” she continues.