LGBTQ+ Advocates Call For Mardi Gras To Disinvite Police After Herzog Protest Violence

A letter sent to Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has urged to the organisation to reconsider their invitation to the NSW Police and NSW Labor party following extraordinary police violence at a rally on Monday evening.

27 people were arrested and dozens injured when a demonstration against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Australian visit at Town Hall turned violent, with police deploying pepper spray against some of the estimated 20,000 protesters.

Footage from the night appears to show police officers punching protesters, and forcefully dragging a group of Muslim men kneeling to pray.

Malyangapa and Barkindji man and former First Nations Advisor to Mardi Gras & Sydney World Pride 2023, Keith Quayle, said that the violence seen on Monday was a reminder to many that state sanctioned violence will always be defended by the government.

Writing to Mardi Gras organisers, Quayle asked them to reconsider the involvement of NSW Police and the NSW Labor Party in the upcoming celebrations, and to instead commit funding to independent, community-led crowd control and safety measures.

“For Aboriginal people, queer people of colour, trans and gender-diverse people, sex workers, and those who have been hurt by police before, this is not abstract,” he said. “Police presence is not symbolic. It is not reassuring. It brings fear, hyper-vigilance, and exclusion into a space that is meant to be about survival, pride, and collective care. It brings up old and new wounds.

“Government sanctioned police violence survives on our silence. Queer people know this truth in our bones, because the same system that polices our bodies also decides whose pain counts. Love demands more than rainbow lights and far less glitter. It demands refusal. It demands that we say not in our name, not in our streets, not in our pride.”

A number of elected officials, including Independent member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, raised concerns raised concerns about police violence, with Greenwich requesting an urgent meeting with local area commands.

“I understand that policing protest activity can be difficult when tensions are high, however we need to find a way to facilitate people’s right to protest without harm,” he wrote in a letter to police minister Yasmin Catley.

“Like so many Sydneysiders, I’m deeply disturbed by the scenes from yesterday’s protest, Greenwich wrote on Instagram. “I have asked the Police Minister to conduct an urgent review of policing practices at protests, and urge people who wish to make a complaint to contact the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.”

A repeated conversation

Quayle’s call is being echoed by a number of LGBTQIA+ community groups and advocates, many of whom attended the rally.

Policy and advocacy volunteer at Trans Justice Sydney, Dr Rory Gillard, said the group supported an independent investigation into the actions of officers on Monday.

“Police conduct at the event confirms what we already knew about police violence and repression experienced by minoritised communities, including First Nations communities, Palestinian people, LGBTQIA+ communities and people with disabilities. The harm and repression also extended to people outside these populations on Monday night,” they said.

“We also recognise the long lineage of alternative first responders to the police, particularly by First Nations communities and within LGBTQIA+ communities, such as Dykes on Bikes.”

The actions of NSW Police on Monday were fiercely defended by both the Premier and Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna, who said on Tuesday that he was “very proud of the police officers” and stood by their actions in the face of “outrageous behaviour”.

Police involvement in Mardi Gras has been a contentious issue for years, and is a frequently discussed in relation to queer pride events around the world. In last year’s annual general meeting, a motion calling for the permanent removal of the NSW Police float from the Parade failed to pass, with a member speaking in support of the motion saying Mardi Gras needed to consider the experiences of families who have lost loved ones in custody, as well as drug users, trans people and other groups disproportionately affected by police violence.

In a statement to City Hub, CEO Jesse Matheson acknowledged that the scenes on Monday were extremely confronting and had caused distress for members across the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Like many Sydneysiders, Mardi Gras believes the right to peaceful protest is a vital part of a free and democratic society,” he said.

“In the lead-up to the Festival, our focus is on calm and respectful engagement that allows everybody in our community to express themselves. We are being proactive to deescalate wherever possible and to support the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved. Our priority remains delivering a Festival that is safe, inclusive and respectful for all participants and spectators.

“We recognise that people experience safety in different ways, and those perspectives deserve to be acknowledged and respected. Mardi Gras works with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver safe events, including private security, police, community volunteers, medical teams, and community organisations such as ACON.”

Quayle said that disinviting the NSW police and NSW Labor party wasn’t about punishment of hostility, but about listening to the most harmed voices and choosing not to repeat old wounds.

“As a minority community that has major leverage and negotiating power, we know what happens when violence is minimised and when institutions are protected at the expense of people,” he said. “It’s time to act with that leverage and power.

“SGLMG has always claimed courage as its core value. Courage now looks like drawing a line and standing with those who are afraid, grieving, and angry for good reason.”