Mardi Gras protesters found guilty of disrupting Sydney parade

Six protesters have been found guilty of disrupting this year’s Mardi Gras parade after they stormed the route and fought with police.

Six pro-Palestine protesters have avoided convictions after they were found guilty of disrupting Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade by storming the route and fighting with police.

Just after 9.30pm on March 2, a group of protesters could be seen clashing with police after entering the fenced-off parade route through Sydney city.

In a video taken of the disruption, a woman appears to pass a smoke stick to someone behind the barrier as police attempt to wrestle a large banner out of her hands.

Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebrations in March. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Police could be seen wrestling a protester carrying the sign. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Protesters could be seen carrying smoke sticks. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The banner, which was carried by two people struggling with authorities, read “queer solidarity with Palestinian resistance”.

More protesters, some of whom are wearing white wigs and face coverings, can be seen gathering around the struggling banner holders before police manage to haul the woman away.

More than a dozen police can then be seen rushing to detain the rest of the protesters who have infiltrated the parade route, right in front of the NSW Premier’s float.

On Thursday, Diego Garcia-Miranda, Lucky Dodd, Alexandra Moulis, Claire Pettigrew, Karli Munn and Miranda Gibson faced Sydney’s Downing Centre Court to be dealt with over their role in the chaotic intervention.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis found the six protesters guilty of participating in the Mardi Gras melee but did not record a conviction.

Activists claim police were heavy handed. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Protesters were seen struggling with police. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Multiple people were arrested. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Ms Pettigrew was found guilty of hindering or resisting police in the execution of their duty and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order.

Mr Garcia-Miranda was given the same sentence for possessing a non-firearm for discharging an irritant in a public place.

The remaining four protesters were found guilty of wilfully preventing the free passage of a person or vehicle and handed a year-long conditional release order.

In a statement released after the protests, the responsible group Queers in Solidarity with Palestinian Resistance claimed police had used “excessive force against activists”.

“As a queer person I feel that it’s our responsibility to express support and solidarity here at Mardi Gras with Palestinians resisting the settler-colonial zionist entity and its genocidal violence,” an anonymous member of the group said at the time.

“The Labor party do not deserve to be celebrated here, they deserve to be held accountable for their active support of the zionist state.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Federal Minister Tanya Plibersek were nearby when the protest broke out. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Large numbers of police were in attendance at the parade. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Video of the protest shows it occurred right in front of the float for Rainbow Labor, with whom NSW Premier Chris Minns was marching on Mardi Gras.

It was the first time a NSW Premier has taken part in the parade.

Mr Minns was not caught up in the chaos and left shortly after, as originally planned.

Originally published as Mardi Gras protesters found guilty of disrupting Sydney parade