No Police at Pride organisers have slammed Victoria Police after a violent clash between cops and queer protesters took place at Midsumma Pride March on Sunday.
About 100 officers in uniform attended the march in St Kilda, Melbourne, as part of Victoria Police’s contingent, much to the frustration of various grassroots activist groups behind the “no cops at pride” movement.
According to statement from Victoria Police, the uniformed officers were met with about 50 protesters at 1.50pm, who police allege surrounded their group and attempted to stop the officers from marching.
Police responded by “physically removing” the protesters from the area, with one person arrested — though whether this person was involved in the protest is disputed.
Videos uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, show a group of protesters at Midsumma being shoved backwards by police, who can be seen grabbing protesters by the arms and shoulders and pushing them.
Victoria Police said in a statement that it was “disappointed” that there was “a small group of people intent on disrupting what is a proud and inclusive day.”
“Today should be a celebration and not one of hate, we are proud of our members who were able to complete the march in a hostile environment,” it said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton slammed the protesters as an “ugly rabble”.
“I have nothing but contempt for them,” Patton said, and commended his officers for showing “restraint”.
No Police at Pride organisers slam Victoria Police
No Police at Pride — who did not organise the protest that took place on Sunday, but has been campaigning against police attending Pride for several years now — has released its own statement condemning Victoria Police for “shameful violence” and defending the protesters as “peaceful”.
“No Police at Pride (NPP) condemns Victoria Police’s shameful violence at Pride yesterday, where police tore banners, pushed, shoved and threw punches at peaceful Queer protestors,” the group said in a statement.
“Protest is not only a proud Queer tradition but a basic human right.”
NPP also condemned the “disgraceful comments” Patton made about the protesters as blaming victims of police violence for their own “brutalisation”.
Frank Gafa, another organiser of NPP, said that police attending Pride excludes minority groups who feel unsafe around cops.
“Everyone is welcome at Pride in a personal capacity, but police participation excludes the most vulnerable in our communities. We deserve to feel safe at our own events,” he said.
Why are people protesting police at Pride?
The concept of Pride Month was birthed in the US from with the Stonewall Riots — a series of violent protests that began after police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. Historically, Pride has always been a protest — and specifically, an anti-police one.
“Yesterday’s demonstration was an expression of the Queer community’s distrust of police and a stand against the police in Queer spaces. The distrust of police was detailed in depth in the Victorian Pride Lobby’s report, in our petition last week, and countless actions and demonstrations over the course of years,” an NPP spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
No Police at Pride launched a petition last week which called for Victoria Police to cease attending pride events. The petition received 2,300 signatures in one week.
“According to ABS data, half of gay, lesbian and bisexual people do not trust the police,” the petition said.
“Local research confirms that 4 in 5 LGBTIQ+ Victorians distrust Victoria Police, while 3 in 4 do not want them to march in uniform. This is unsurprising since police violence against LGBTIQ+ people is an ongoing issue.”
The petition accused Victoria Police of facilitating “the public display of anti-trans hate speech and assaulted LGBTIQ+ groups” when Nazis marched in front of Parliament in March last year.
“Legal observers found that Victoria Police showed a ‘clear pattern of biased and discriminatory policing’ against Queer activists and their allies,” the petition said, while listing recent attacks on protesters, medics and legal observers.
“Police do not keep us safe; instead, they endanger the most vulnerable members of our communities. We reject Victoria Police’s attempts to exploit Queer people as a means of distracting from their illegal activities and violent behaviour,” the petition said.
Image: Instagram @nevozisin
