A group of Nazis and TERFs protested against trans people outside of Victoria’s Parliament House on Saturday. It was a rancid display of transphobic, homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic ideologies in broad daylight, and there is more than enough footage to confirm that it was aggressively protected by Victorian Police. This serves as a reminder as to why LGBTQIA+ people don’t want cops at pride, not now and not ever.
For most queer people, it was no surprise to see Victorian Police captured on film forming barricades around Nazis and TERFs while trans rights activists were reportedly hit, pepper sprayed and arrested.
The police force is an institution that has historically targeted and vilified LGBTQIA+ people, especially POC members of the community.
It’s an institution that, for so many communities, only stands to represent violence, oppression and silencing. It does not exist to serve marginalised people. It does not exist to serve people at all. And given its history, no amount of “good cops” (which I’d argue don’t exist) can ever change this.
Most folks understand that the cops can be fkn despicable, but to see police allow anti-Semitic protests in the middle of Victoria was a new low, even for them.
VicPol have now facilitated a spot on the steps of Victorian parliament for the neo nazi group. They are doing nazi salutes on the steps of parliament surrounded by police who led them up there and are now standing linked to protect them
— Amy Sargeant 🏳️⚧️ (@amy_sargeant_) March 18, 2023
let’s be real, is it because they don’t deserve the attention or because photos would show police pepper spraying trans people + protecting Nazis pic.twitter.com/IKYeW9zfiq
— Hiero Badge (@hierobadge) March 19, 2023
Nazis being protected so fiercely by police at an anti trans protest should make everyone who criticised @SenatorThorpe‘s protest at Mardi Gras 2023 hang their head in absolute shame
— irreconcilable (@MelindaMann01) March 18, 2023
Individuals protesting for trans rights in the face of disgusting anti-trans protests reported being “shoved” and “assaulted” while Nazi protestors were peacefully allowed to give the Nazi salute.
Some even reported members of the anti-trans TERF group “Standing for Women” were seen happily marching alongside men from the neo-Nazi group “The National Socialist Movement”.
You’d think if an enforcer of the law saw two hate groups and a group of queer people they’d target the literal Nazis, but we know better by now.
I was assaulted by VICPol numerous times today while breaking no laws, repeatedly asking what legal right they had to treat me this way, & receiving no answer
Meanwhile NAZIs goose-stepped & sieg heiled behind them
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses
— Strewth 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@StrewthQueen) March 18, 2023
I’m disturbed by reports of police brutality towards anti-facist protestors and leniency towards neo-nazis. This is unacceptable.
Facism, transphobia and racism are all part of the same arc of hate and must be destroyed.
— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) March 19, 2023
It’s actions like this that serve as a reminder that cops simply have no place in pride protests.
Despite there being beautifully queer people who serve as police officers, the group as a collective should not be part of any sort of parade or celebration of all things LGBTQIA+.
Pride celebrations are still a form of protest, and we’ve seen time and time again that when queer people want to protest, the police are only interested in shutting things down and othering us. Why do they ask us to so easily forget their combative past (and PRESENT) with queer people once it’s Pride Month? Fuck right off with that nonsense.
Which isn’t to say hatred against trans people shouldn’t be enough to outrage all of us, but if you are part of a marginalised group and you’re ignoring this rise in transphobia, complicit in it, or (god forbid) supporting it, you’re committing a massive self own.
— Kara Schlegl (@karaschlegl) March 18, 2023
If the police really cared about LGBTQIA+ people, they wouldn’t seek to intimidate them and treat them the way they so often do.
It speaks volumes that in the face of Nazism, police are literally more afraid of queer people, so much so that they’d choose to protect a violent, disgusting show of pathetic, backwards ideologies.
I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. The police love protecting their own.
If you’d like to talk about the issues raised in this story, you can call the QLife LGBTQIA+ peer support hotline on 1800 184 527 or chat online.
QLife operates between 3pm and midnight daily.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
