SYDNEY (VG) Lidia Thorpe was removed by police when she laid down and stopped the World Pride parade in protest.
Mardi Gras and the Pride parade were organized at the same time as World Pride kicks off in the Australian metropolis.
Tens of thousands of people filled the streets in all the colors of the rainbow before the parade started in Oxford Street at 7pm, and the event went off without serious incident.
The police were present with large crews, and also participated in the parade themselves, where many snuck in “selfies” with the men in uniform.
There was still a bit of drama. Senator from the state of Victoria, Lidia Thorpe, was escorted away by the police.
She had actually laid down in the middle of the road and stopped the parade for a while.
– Fuck the police, she screamed before laying down on her back, writes ABC.
The crowd booed and asked her to be removed, and two police officers did so shortly after.
A video of the episode quickly spread on social media afterwards.
– We respect everyone’s right to protest, but breaking into the parade in this way has major consequences for the safety of our participants and the public, says a statement from the organizers.
The former senator has posted a message on Twitter afterwards where she writes that she protests against police violence, and against the police taking part in the parade. Something the vast majority of the participants did not seem to mind.
Lidia Thorpe represented the Greens until earlier this year, but is now an independent after disagreements about “Indigenous voice”, a planned advisory group for indigenous people to the Australian Parliament.
