Christian Far-Right Groups To Rally In Sydney This Weekend, LGBT Activists Organise Counter Protest
Image: Photo: Unsplash/Nikolas Gannon
Far-right Christian groups are planning to gather on Macquarie Street in Sydney this weekend to rally, as LGBTQI activists work to counter with their own protest.
On Saturday, March 18, the far-right groups claim their rally is to 鈥減rotect our kids鈥� from the 鈥渕oral decay of society.鈥�
鈥淲hile it鈥檚 entitled 鈥榩rotect the children鈥� or some variation, it鈥檚 important to understand the context of the groups and the broader trends in Australia and around the world鈥�, says Jordan Humphreys, a member of Community Action for Rainbow Rights, an LGBTQI activist group, who infiltrated online organisational meetings for the weekend rally.
鈥淎 lot of their concerns are about drag queens and teaching the children about sex education and LGBTQI+ people, and there not being laws about Christians being a persecuted minority, that鈥檚 the sort of politics of the rally.鈥�
A Serious Demonstration
Additionally, though organised by a coalition of far-right Christian groups, the rally represents a gathering of a wide range of far-right groups and individuals, religious or otherwise.
鈥淲e definitely get the sense that it鈥檚 a more serious demonstration than we might have supposed at first, especially with people like Mark Latham, Fred Niles, and about a dozen priests all across Sydney potentially involved,鈥� says Humphreys.
The rally has been met with significant backlash from LGBTQI activist organisations, who have organised against the far-right with their own event, a counter-protest running parallel to the gathering.
鈥淲e need to show that there鈥檚 opposition to the right-wing ideas that are being put forward at this rally,鈥� says Humphreys.
鈥淥therwise, the whole narrative and political discussions are dominated by what they want.鈥�
The Latest In A String of Far-Right Action
Community Action for Rainbow Rights, organisers of the counter-protest, views the bigoted demonstration as the latest in a string of growing far-right action against LGBTQI people and events throughout Sydney.
鈥淭his [demonstration] is the latest in a series of actions by far-right religious groups targeting LGBTQI people in Sydney including the vandalisation of various LGBTQI murals during World Pride, the march through Newtown and the far-right mobilisation for George Pell’s funeral at the start of the year,鈥� writes the group.
鈥淐ommunity Action for Rainbow Rights has called this counter-protest to oppose this bigotry.鈥�
The Community Action for Rainbow Rights counter-protest is to be held on Saturday, March 18, at 9:30am. An initial meetup will occur at Queen鈥檚 Square on Macquarie Street in Sydney, across from the far-right rally.
Further information can be found on the .
Fred Nile! Haha is that moron still around? He is the most hypocritical, sick monster and will definitely rot in hell. Good riddens to him.
What a bunch of hypocritical morons these so called 鈥淐hristian鈥檚鈥� are- they are nothing but a sad, pathetic group of brainless red necks and need to look up the dictionary of the meaning of Christianity – true Christian鈥檚 do not judge and treat everyone as they would like to be treated. I say throw these morons to the lions so they can burn I hell where they belong!