Chaos Erupts at Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade as Pro-Palestine Protesters Clash with Police

Chaos unfolded at the annual Mardi Gras parade in Sydney as pro-Palestine protesters clashed with police, just meters away from the NSW Premier. The shocking incident occurred as a woman from a pro-Palestinian group attempted to disrupt the parade by passing a flare to an individual behind metal barricades while police struggled to control the situation. The protesters, displaying a large banner that read ‘queer solidarity with Palestinian resistance,’ ignited flares as officers worked to contain the disturbance.

The NSW Premier, Chris Minns, was participating in the parade with the Rainbow Labor group, marking a historic moment as the first premier to partake in the event. However, the disruption at the parade, involving the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, occurred within close proximity to where Minns was marching. Despite the chaos, the Premier was not directly involved in the altercation and subsequently left the parade shortly after the incident.

Following the disruption, seven men and two women were arrested by police for breaching the parade route as the Premier’s float approached. Subsequently, eight individuals, including one man and seven women, were charged for their involvement in the incident. The arrested individuals were granted conditional bail and are scheduled to appear at Downing Centre Local Court later this month.

The pro-Palestine protesters, representing the group ‘Queers in Solidarity with Palestinian Resistance,’ released a statement asserting their support for Palestinian causes and condemning what they perceived to be excessive police force during the demonstration. They denied accusations of using flares and instead clarified that they released smoke effects which are legal in NSW and commonly used at various events.

Earlier in the day, an unrelated incident saw a 20-year-old woman arrested for attempting to enter the parade marshalling area with a packet of screws. This incident added to the overall tension surrounding the Mardi Gras event, which was otherwise commended for the positive participation of the majority of attendees and participants.

The disruption at the Mardi Gras parade followed earlier protests by the group ‘Pride in Protest‘ against the inclusion of a NSW Police float in the event.  The group’s protests stemmed from recent events involving a serving NSW Police officer, Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has been charged with the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. The presence of the police contingent at the parade stirred controversy, leading to a broader discussion on police involvement in LGBTQ+ events.