Yes activist caught jostling No protesters

A Greens activist who launched legal action against the No campaign for linking her image to ­“violent political extremism” jostled with No protesters.

Jill Moran shouted “shame” and “Safe Schools saves lives” as she attempted to disrupt the Jericho rally on August 12.

A Greens activist who launched legal action against the No campaign for linking her image to ­“violent political extremism” jostled with protesters and tried to shut down a rally against the Safe Schools program.

Jill Moran, who ran for the Greens at last year’s ACT elections, shouted “shame” and “Safe Schools saves lives” as she attempted to disrupt the Jericho rally on August 12, organised by the Christian Democratic Party in Canberra.

Footage of the rally, captured by Christian protesters and the Ten Network, shows gay rights activists shouting down opponents of Safe Schools.

Ms Moran, a Canberra-based public servant, said footage showing her lunging forward with her leg as someone tried to take away her rainbow flag was not directed at any particular individual.

“I was not lunging at him directly, which is why I turned my back,” she told The Australian. “It’s unfortunate that he tried to steal my flag, and then did successfully steal my flag, which was returned to me by the police.”

Footage of the rally can be seen in the video below.

Ms Moran’s image, and those of other protesters at the event, was used in a September 16 media statement issued by the Coalition for Marriage ahead of its formal campaign launch, but she was not identified by name.

The image showed her carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a white shirt next to a statement saying: “Tonight a test for the extremists of the ‘Yes’ campaign.”

Slater & Gordon — which on Wednesday confirmed it was a “corporate supporter of the Australian Marriage Equality organisation” — has taken on Ms Moran’s case on a pro bono basis after she argued the use of her image without her consent was defamatory.

“We’ve issued a concerns notice requesting Jill’s photo be removed and an apology and correction issued. Defamation legislation sets out a 28-day response period for such requests,” lawyer Phil Johnston said.

The No campaign is still considering its response.

The Australian has been told it is the first and only defamation case brought against the Coalition for Marriage since the $122 million postal survey was announced.

Ms Moran told The Australian: “I don’t have a problem with the photograph itself. What I have a problem with is the photo’s association with the words ‘extremist’, ‘violent’ and ‘bullying’ — and characterising me that way.

“As a public servant, I’m expected to follow the APS code of conduct and ideas that I’m extremist or violent could have ramifications for my ... future employment in the public service.”

Ms Moran confirmed to The Australian she had deleted a tweet posted on the day of the rally in which she joked about “smashing” heterosexual primacy.

“Beauty tips for when the plebiscite makes you break out in stress pimples: 1. Notice 2. Shrug 3. Go back to smashing the heteropatriachy,” the tweet said.

Ms Moran said she deleted the tweet because she was receiving unwanted push-back from “internet trolls”. “I would say that only an act of violence would justify calling me violent,” she said.

The Coalition for Marriage issued a statement on Wednesday denying that “anyone has been defamed”. “An image of Yes activists deliberately and brazenly disrupting a peaceful anti-Safe Schools event in Canberra was shared with our media release,” the statement said. “There are many photos and videos publicly available that confirm what happened that day.”

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