‘Embarrassing’ plan to rip down anti-racist street signs binned

A push to have “woke” road signs removed from streets in a ritzy Sydney neighbourhood has been spectacularly shot down and labelled “embarrassing”.

An ugly shadow has been cast over one of Sydney’s most affluent areas after a fiery council debate almost resulted in the removal of street signs calling out racism.

Local councillors in the Woollahra local government area, in Sydney’s east, came to a very close decision on Monday evening with an 8-7 vote ruling that the “racism NOT welcome” signs should remain in their current location.

The narrow verdict came after three Liberal councillors proposed the removal of 12 signs on the basis they gave the “false impression that Woollahra locals are racists”, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Liberal councillor Mary-Lou Jarvis also shot down a compromise proposal that would have seen the signs removed from residential streets and erected solely in public areas.

Ms Jarvis argued the “politically correct” signs had created division in the council and community, and for that reason wanted them gone entirely.

“It’s wokeism writ large and has created division where there wasn’t any before. This is all about making people feel good rather than taking actions to reduce racism,” she claimed.

Woollahra councillors voted in favour of these signs being removed from the area. Picture: Facebook

“I hope the people who got us into this mess feel good about what they’ve done,” she told the SMH.

Ms Jarvis said“race-based politics” was being imported to the eastern suburbs from the inner-city. Woolahra is 8kms from Sydney’s CBD.

Greens councillor Nicola Grieve said the councillors’ campaign was “embarrassing”.

and “brought Woollahra into disrepute”.

The failed motion proposed by Liberal councillors Toni Zeltzer and Peter Cavanagh argued the signs were unjustified because there were insufficient “reports of racist incidents, name-calling or violence of any kind”.

They added the signs had sparked distress among locals, who had contacted councillors to express their disapproval.

“They say the signs give a false impression that Woollahra locals are racist, while there has been no evidence presented to that effect,” the motion said.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the signs were here to stay. Picture: Facebook

Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne said the signs were created to help end racism and they would be staying in his patch of Sydney.

“Liberals in the eastern suburbs are moving to have these signs removed, as they say they find them offensive,” he wrote to Twitter.

“This campaign started in the Inner West, not as an accusation, but as an expression of commitment to ending discrimination. The signs are here to stay on our streets.”

The street signs were part of a campaign spearheaded by former Socceroo and SBS football commentator Craig Foster in 2020.

While they originated in the city’s inner west, they have now been dispersed across a broad range of LGAs.

Originally published as ‘Embarrassing’ plan to rip down anti-racist street signs binned