Campaign to protect Sydney Mardi Gras amid ‘internal divisions’ over police participation
Sydney’s Annual Mardi Gras parade ceremony is the Most The most visible celebration of LGBT people around the world ”, but activists took the risk of internal division.
An informal Mardi Gras members are making a campaign to bring back the expected annual general meeting in December.
In addition, the Protect Mardi Gras campaign, seeking new members, aims to “protect” the inclusive character of the world -famous event and to resist the efforts to prohibit the participation of the NSW police.
Organizer Peter Stahel said that Mardi Gras was in a handful of votes ,, which prohibited the participation of the members of Mardi Gras in 2024 after a series of discussions.
“The most visible celebration of LGBT people in the world and incredibly valuable.
“That’s why we’re doing this. We don’t do this because we want to protect the police. We want to protect the right to be at the passage ceremony of the police.
“We want to protect this because of the goodness of Mardi Gras and often for people who struggle to deal with who they are really.”
Mr. Sthel believed in the difficulty of prohibiting the police, and the next return gone beyond the “difference of view”.
He was afraid of alienation of certain groups in the parade ceremony and that other groups would officially alienate in the future.
“They think we should ban the cops. I don’t agree, but still welcome to Mardi Gras, right?” My Sthel said the groups opposing the participation of the police.
“So, what they say should not be invited to everyone we do not participate ‘.
“Mardi Gras has been built on this principle that you need to establish alliances to create change.
“You have to put people in, you have to convince people, you need to change their hearts, you need to change the minds.”
Sthel, campaignists, “understandable concerns or police concerns” said they did not withdraw.
“We said, even if only one of the 100 policemen is a real ally, it doesn’t make sense to reject a person,” he said.
Im Let’s celebrate this person. Let us celebrate that they are brave enough to stand up and visible.
“This is what Mardi Gras has been attending the parade since 1998.”
Mr. Sthel pushed back the allegations that Mardi Gras was a protest that he “lost his way ,, which was based on bringing the origin of people who might not be involved.
The campaign received the support of 78 Peter Murphy, one of the first activists walking in the original Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978.
While he said that the activists faced “real and raw” police savage in the early days, “Progress does not just shout people”.
“This comes from showing, educating, challenging and building alliances.” he said.
Mr. Murphy returned to what he said was a movement to ban LGBTQIA+ Police, Army, some political parties and corporate sponsors ”.
“The goals are not to expand the movement – to use it to punish,” he said.
“Stacking strategies AGM, taking over the board and changing what Mardi Gras is and what it is.”
Attempts to ban the police from Mardi Gras were only defeated in the AGM last year.
The members voted 493 to 459 against Banning Police.
The unsuccessful decision was moved by the Mardi Gras Board and based on community consultancy, which 54 percent of the participants said that they opposed the participation of the police.
NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon after Jesse Baird and Luke Davies’s alleged murders, he did not have any satisfaction and was still in front of the courts-and LGBTIQ came after the special investigation commission on hate crimes.
One of the groups advocating the exclusion of the police is proud of the protest.
Shortly after December AGM, in a video, the group said that this would be excluded from the police.
The group was contacted for a comment.
Mardi Gras Organization refused to comment on the campaign.
