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NSW Police’s participation in Mardi Gras parade cancelled by organisers
By Ben Cubby
NSW Police have been asked not to march at Saturday’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade by the event’s organisers.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Board said having police participate in the march “could intensify the current feelings of sorrow and distress” in the LGBTQ community grieving over the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
Uniformed police march in the Mardi Gras parade in 2004.Credit: Fairfax Media
Beau Lamarre-Condon, a police officer who had previously marched in the parade, has been charged with the murders of Baird and Davies and is in custody.
“In recent days, many have voiced their concerns to us, particularly regarding feelings of unease at the parade,” the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Board said in a statement.
“Their concerns centre on whether it can still be a space to protest, celebrate, and advocate for equality, as well as to honour and grieve for those we’ve lost, given the NSW Police’s participation in this year’s event.
Beau Lamarre-Condon marching in the 2020 Mardi Gras parade in Sydney.Credit: AAP
“Our community needs space to grieve the loss of Jesse and Luke who, before this tragedy, would have been here celebrating with us at the festival,” the statement said.
“In light of this, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Board feels that having the NSW Police march this year could add to the distress within our communities, already deeply affected by recent events. The board has taken the decision to request that the police do not march in the 2024 parade.
“This decision was not made lightly, especially considering that many NSW Police members who participate in the parade are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community and are navigating the impact of this tragedy alongside us … This decision allows space for the community to heal this year and acknowledges the profound grief and strain that we are enduring.”
The inclusion of police in the annual parade was already being debated within the LGBTQ community in the wake of a Special Commission of Inquiry into hate crimes, which made 19 recommendations in December.
A police spokesperson said the force was disappointed but would work with organisers to provide a safe environment at the parade.
“The NSW Police Force has been advised that the board of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras decided to withdraw the invitation ... to participate in this year’s event,” a police spokesperson told the Herald.
“While disappointed with this outcome, NSW Police will continue to work closely with the LGBTIQA+ community and remain committed to working with organisers to provide a safe environment for all those participating in and supporting this Saturday’s parade.”
The Special Commission of Inquiry investigated the suspicious deaths or unsolved murders – potentially motivated by gay hate bias – of LGBTQ people over 40 years.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb had apologised on Sunday to the families of gay hate crime victims after the report found officers had been “indifferent, negligent, dismissive or hostile”.
Uniformed police began marching in the parade in 1998 – 20 years after the first parade was broken up by brutal police action. It was intended at the time as a symbolic gesture of respect and support.
In 2016, the then-police commissioner Mick Fuller also issued a formal apology to the LGBTQIA community.
“As the NSW police force commissioner, I am truly sorry for the way that you, and the LGBTQI community, were treated back in ’78,” Fuller said. “The actions of police – and society – and the laws behind them at the time were wrong.”
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