‘Please get me out of here’: Activist’s plea before woman punched in violent protest brawl

Footage has captured the moment a woman was assaulted as Christian protesters quickly turned a planned protest involving LGBTQIA+ activists violent.

Shocking footage has captured the moment a woman was punched during a planned protest by LGBTQIA+ activists that quickly descended into violent conflict with Christian protesters.

Hundreds of Christian protesters on Tuesday night surrounded “peaceful” LGBTQIA+ activists outside St Michael’s Church in Belfield, Sydney, where firebrand one Nation NSW leader Mark Latham was due to speak to about 500 people.

This is despite Mr Latham bizarrely calling Tuesday’s event a “success”.

Footage of the incident shows one person being violently pushed to the ground and another being punched in the back of the head. Picture: Facebook

In the video uploaded to social media, an activist is heard calling for police to “please get us out of here” shortly before a woman is forcefully punched in the back of the head by a man.

The woman screams before falling into another person.

Police allege glass bottles and other projectiles were thrown at officers.

“At this stage we believe it to be water bottles and some rocks that were thrown,” Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said.

“This was nothing but a violent confrontation.”

Police allege a male constable suffered an injury to his hand during the fracas. He was taken to Canterbury Hospital in a stable condition.

A 38-year-old man was also allegedly pushed to the ground and assaulted, according to police.

Days out from the state election, Mr Latham had planned to talk about “religious freedom, parental rights, school education” and keeping LGBTQIA+ activism out of schools.

However, things turned “very violent” in the lead-up to his presentation, with two arrests being made in a scuffle between attendees and a small group of LGBTQIA+ protesters outside the church.

Community Action for Rainbow Rights said ‘hundreds of far-right protesters charged’ the activists. Picture: Facebook.

Despite activist groups reporting several incidents of protesters being “punched in the face multiple times and hit with rocks and bottles”, Mr Latham said on Wednesday “the meeting was conducted successfully”.

“We provided information, heard feedback, and everyone dispersed peacefully, including myself,” he said.

“I made a judgment subsequently proven to be 100 per cent accurate that we should have the meeting.”

Footage from the event shows the moment a large group of mostly men confronted the activists.

In the clip, police try to hold back the crowds after swarms of men sprint towards the activists. The men surround and yell at them, with one man screaming “get the f**k back now”.

Police mingle with the crowd. Picture: Facebook

A cameraman is pushed to the ground during the incident. Picture: Chriscoveries/Facebook

Superintendent Waldau said on Wednesday that following the “violent confrontation”, Mr Latham was asked whether he wanted to go ahead with his speech.

“And he decided that he still wished to do that,” she said.

Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR) claimed that individuals who participated in the “anti-trans community meeting” later followed fleeing protesters in their cars for blocks.

CARR also accused the One Nation leader of doing “nothing to stop the wave of violent attacks carried out in his name”.

On Wednesday, Mr Latham said the activists “provoked and triggered” the violence despite police reports that the LGBTQIA+ “protest group appeared to be peaceful”.

“All the projectiles appear(ed) to have come from the crowd that were at the event,” Superintendent Waldau said.

Mr Latham said it was “fake news” to suggest the counter protesters were One Nation supporters.

“I didn’t talk to any of them in advance … they weren’t wearing any One Nation material,” he said.

“If you hadn’t told me there was a riot at the front I would’ve said this was a peaceful, normal productive meeting.

“Let’s have no misunderstandings of where this started.”

Mr Latham also speculated that the large group that swarmed the activists were likely “churchgoers offended” by having access to their place of worship partially obstructed.

Superintendent Waldau said the small group of protesters had to be “removed from the scene for their own safety by the police and as far as we know there will be no incidents involving this group”.

Tonight hundreds of violent far right thugs attacked a small peaceful speak out of LGBTI+ activists with glass bottles, rocks and their fists. Several people were punched in the face multiple times & hit with rocks and bottles as they were surrounded by a mob 30 times their size

— Community Action for Rainbow Rights (@lgbti_sydney) March 21, 2023

Mr Latham later accused activists and police of trying to “cancel (his) rights to speak as a candidate”, but he “did not surrender”.

Immediately following the violent eruption on Tuesday evening, Mr Latham took to social media to “thoroughly condemn” the violence, criticise police and mock the LGBTQIA+ protesters.

He accused police of “join(ing) the cancel culture movement” instead of protecting and defending the rights of election candidates to “participate freely in public meetings”.

Mr Latham also referred to the activists as “LGBTQ Alphabet” and accused police of facilitating “Rainbow Fascism”.

How bad are these LGBTQ Alphabet protesters? I’m under police orders regarding access to my speaking event at a Sydney church tonight.
A denial of democracy.

— Real Mark Latham (@RealMarkLatham) March 21, 2023

On Tuesday, police arrested and charged a 34-year-old with encouraging the commission of crimes and arrested and charged a 41-year-old man with common assault.

The 34-year-old was given conditional bail to appear before Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday, April 11, while the 41-year-old will appear before the same court on Tuesday, May 30.

Mr Latham also told the media on Wednesday that he “got a standing ovation” at the end of his speech.

“Which I was very happy with,” he said.