Three men have now been charged after hundreds of people stormed trans activists outside One Nation’s “Christian Lives Matter” rally in Belfield on Tuesday.
Chaos ensued as 15 protestors from the LGBTQI+ activist organisation, Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR), were swarmed by hundreds of counter-protestors, many wearing “Christian Lives Matter” t-shirts.
CARR had organised a peaceful speak-out a block away from where One Nation politician Mark Latham was due to deliver an anti-trans speech at the rally.
The activists were rushed by protestors who hurled projectiles and physically assaulted them as police attempted to form a barrier between the mob and the activists.
The riot squad was called to the scene and one officer was taken to the hospital after being struck in the hand with a thrown object.
CARR took to Facebook to post footage from the protest, where another assault was caught on camera showing a woman being hit in the back of the head right in front of police.
“This is a disgusting and violent escalation by the Anti-LGBTI+ far-right protesters who recently marched through Newtown in protest against World Pride,” CARR said in the post.
Another video emerged of protestor Christian Sukkar calling for violence against the activists a day earlier in the lead up to the ambush, asking for counter-protesters to “shake [the activists] up” and “drag them by their f—ing head”.
New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet said the violence that took place is a “disgrace”.
“There is no place for violence in our state, particularly during election period,” he said.
One Nation’s Mark Latham also responded to claims that the counter-protesters were One Nation supporters describing it as “fake news”.
“I don’t exactly know who they are, they weren’t wearing any One Nation material or organised by us in any shape or form,” he said.
Tuesday’s riot took place only a few days after Melbourne saw Neo-Nazis standing alongside an Anti-Trans women’s movement while performing Nazi salutes and brandishing a sign with the words “DESTROY PAEDO FREAKS”.
Photo: Police woman pushes back photographers after arrest by Kate Ausburn available HERE is used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.
