Mardi Gras marchers brutally assaulted by NSW Police

Last week’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade was marred by brutal attacks by NSW Police, with some marchers physically dragged out of the parade. Wendy Bacon reports.

MWM He interviewed 5 people and watched videos (not all of which have been made public) showing police attacking and forcing people out of the parade without providing any justification for their actions.

All those interviewed had tickets allowing them to join the parade, had legitimately entered the pre-parade area and waited in the waiting areas for a while, admiring the other floats and chatting with friends, before proceeding towards the entrance of the parade with the ‘Drag Kings’ float.

They received no warning before they were attacked.

One person was carrying a Palestinian flag that the police took from him. He was then attacked and four police officers tackled him as he called for help.

There is no Mardi Gras rule against flying foreign flags, and apart from hundreds of brand flags there were Scottish flags and a float from Taiwan. MWM He also saw a video of the same person being attacked by Federal police in December 2025.

“Thrown to the ground”

MWM Maeve Nelli, another hiker who was attacked, was also interviewed and shared an Instagram post shortly after the attack.

Nelli was invited to march with the ‘Drag Kings’. He was excited because it was his first walk. He described how the police put their hands around his throat and then threw him to the ground. His personal belongings and medications were on top of a car that continued on the parade after he was dragged out.

Maeve suffered physical bruising and a severe panic attack. He has medical reports and is in the process of getting legal advice.

Another Drag King was pulled by her hair and thrown over a fence, which collapsed. He was then picked up and thrown back to the ground.

Others had to leave the march by police teams.

NSW Police statement

NSW Police issued a press release stating that four people were arrested during Mardi Gras, but MWM We found no evidence that anyone was arrested. None of those violently expelled were arrested, meaning they face no charges. This puts the onus on them to take action against the police and requires lawyers to be briefed.

While NSW police were attacking marchers, their own vehicles were also joining the parade.

This latest episode of police brutality highlights the escalation of authoritarian policing of protests in NSW; This is evident when peaceful protesters were pepper-sprayed at last year’s Arms Fair and at anti-Herzog protests in February this year.

Herzog protests. Paramedics were also attacked, lawyers questioned police brutality

Organizer’s response

On Monday, MWM The parade organizers sent questions to Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) CEO Jesse Matheson about what instructions had been given to NSW Police regarding policing of Mardi Gras and what actions SGLMG planned to take in response to the attacks. We received no response by our deadline.

But a few hours after we submitted our questions, Mardi Gras Board Co-Chairs Kathy Pavlich and Mits Delisle issued an update to all Mardi Gras members.

Both Pavlich and Delisle are affiliated with the NSW Labor Party: Pavlich works as a security risk specialist for the NSW Department of Health and Delisle is the Convener of the Rainbow Labor Party. They stated:

“Throughout the evening, there were instances where individuals associated with the protest entered or attempted to enter the Parade route without permission. The Parade route is a carefully managed environment designed to ensure the safety of thousands of marchers and volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators.”

“Trespass to the route poses serious risks to float operators, performers and those walking near moving vehicles. Our focus throughout the evening was to de-escalate tensions wherever possible and provide a safe environment for all involved. Where necessary, event security and police intervened to remove individuals from the Parade route.”

This statement shows that Mardi Gras management was involved in police decisions. It doesn’t explain how any of the people violently kicked out were unauthorized (they all had tickets) or how they posed a risk to other attendees. What is clear is that rather than ‘de-escalation’,

Police actions put some participants at serious risk.

78ers’ apology anniversary

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the House apologizing to those who marched in the first Mardi Gras, many of whom were violently beaten and arrested. At the time, the 78ers were assured that such violence would never happen again. Many times since then,

violent policing and over-policing They continued.

78ers’ Mark Gillespie told MWM The violence at this year’s Parade “represents a worrying turn towards authoritarianism in NSW. The levels of police brutality on the streets of Sydney and the sheer scale of premeditated state-sponsored violence that at times suggest military-style planning have not been seen since 78ers were brutally attacked at the first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in June 1978.”

“When I saw disturbing video footage of young male NSW Police officers targeting young female, gay and transgender activists in Hyde Park at the Mardi Gras parade last Saturday night,

I know that trust between LGBTQI+ communities and the NSW Police has been broken.

Pride in Protest

Some, but not all, of those attacked were members of a collective called Pride in Protest (PIP).

Pride In Protest was founded in 2020 and describes itself on Twitter as a grassroots collective that will “revitalize the protest roots of Mardi Gras and challenge systems of injustice.” He was part of a pro-Palestinian alliance that recently challenged the constitutionality of the Minns government’s latest anti-protest laws.

He opposes an official tour of the NSW Police Force at Mardi Gras and came close to achieving this with a narrowly lost motion at the SGLMG Annual General meeting last year.

PIP has a significant following with two elected positions on the Mardi Gras Board of Directors; one of them, Luna Choo, received the most votes of any candidate in the Board’s history.

Along with many international Queer solidarity groups, Pride in Protest has adopted the slogan No Pride in Genocide, campaigning in favor of Palestine, including during Mardi Gras itself. When the board adopted a motion supporting a ceasefire in the war in Gaza in 2023, the Dayenu Jewish group complained that they had not been consulted.

Withdrawal of the Jewish group

This year, Dayenu announced that he would withdraw from the 2026 Parade. They understandably noted that the Bondi Massacre made them feel unsafe, but less understandably cited the ‘violent riot’ at the anti-Herzog protest at City Hall.

They denied that there was any police brutality at the protest.

This was confronted with a wealth of external evidence and led to an independent investigation by the NSW Law Enforcement and Conduct Commission. His statements upset pro-Palestinian Queer protesters and supporters.

Herzog protests. Paramedics were also attacked, lawyers questioned police brutality

PIP responded by accusing Dayenu of performing a “lobbying” show and supporting “genocide”.

Dayenu said they were disturbed and denied that the group was Zionist. Dayenu correspondence states that the group has previously received support from the Executive Council of Australian Jews for its Mardi Gras activities, and that the group supported immigration and a volunteer trip to Israel during the genocidal war in Gaza.

To clarify, MWM He asked the group how they should properly describe themselves and whether they were pro-Israel. MWM I didn’t get an answer.

Dayenu rejoined this year’s Parade following engagements with Mardi Gras.

The day before the Parade, CEO Matheson requested that PIP remove the offending social media post on the grounds that the offending post violated their terms of not criticizing other participants.

According to PIP, Matheson refused to return their calls. PIP did not retract the post.

In a move unprecedented in Mardi Gras history, Matheson withdrew the permit for PIP’s ‘Celebration Without Compromise’ display just hours before the parade was due to begin.

PIP held a peaceful protest at City Hall and then marched to Mardi Gras without incident. While most of the PIP supporters then left, others with tickets and connections to other groups joined the Parade in their own vehicles.

PIP rejects accusations of antisemitism and says they are not anti-Semitic but anti-Zionist and anti-Holocaust. Pro-Palestinian Jewish protesters attend his rallies.

While PIP was excluded, the NSW Liberal Party, which recently called for a review of Mardi Gras funding, marched with banners featuring their leader Kelly Sloane.

While NSW police marched in uniform under the protection of other officers, other members of the force also attacked the participants.

All in the name of Mardi Gras’ policy of ‘inclusivity’.

Disclaimer: Wendy Bacon is a 78er who was arrested for protesting at the first Mardi Gras and other events in the 1970s. He is a member of SGLMG and has also attended Pride in Protest rallies.

This was planned. And Chris Minns owns it.