A protester has been forcibly removed from the stage at Aotearoa’s biggest LGBTQ festival after advancing at politicians.
Footage of the incident showed members of the queer rights group Rainbow Action Tāmaki (RAT) heckling at Big Gay Out (BGO) in Auckland’s Coyle Park this afternoon.
A protester then jumped a barrier fence and stormed along a catwalk toward the main stage - where MPs such as Carmel Sepuloni, Shanan Halbert, Chlöe Swarbrick and Matt Doocey watched on - while security forced them and another protester who had cleared the stage back over the fence to the audience.
RAT spokesperson Mia Crossan told the Herald the pair who went on the stage were not RAT members, but “invigorated” community members “frustrated that our voices were not being heard or respected”.
Crossan said the protesters were now doing “okay” and “safe”, noting that RAT did not “wish to claim credit for their actions”.
“It was their mahi, they were the ones to take that risk”.
Crossan claimed that another RAT supporter was harmed during the demonstration.
“One of our disabled whānau who is a wheelchair user was assaulted, but luckily, other members from Rainbow Action Tāmaki were able to protect her and she is also safe now.”
People were heard earlier chanting “National off the stage” and also jeering when emcee Miss Ribena announced which politicians were not in attendance.
In a release ahead of the festival, Rainbow Action Tāmaki criticised organiser The Burnett Foundation’s decision to invite Government MPs.
“Rainbow Action Tāmaki unequivocally condemns the decision by Big Gay Out to platform right-wing transphobic, racist and Genocide enabling polititions [sic],” the group said on Instagram.
“Community outrage clearly communicated that BGO must pull the plug on the inclusion of our communities’ political opponents.
“For this reason, we have decided to hold them accountable. We will take action to protest and drown out all right wing polititions on the panel.”
Addressing the crowd, Swarbrick said she wanted to acknowledge there was a “lot of righteous anger because people are aware of the things this Government has done”.
“The kinds of things we’re seeing proliferated online comes from the top.
“It is being tolerated in our Parliament, the level of toxicity unlike anything I have ever seen in the previous six years, in my last two terms.”
The Burnett Foundation’s chief organisation enablement officer Mary Haddock-Staniland told the Herald the foundation tried to approach RAT members as they entered the festival, but they were not “prepared to engage with us”.
“We know protest and disagreement are part of a healthy democracy, but actions that put people at risk or disrupt the safety of others, we don’t endorse, nor do we support,” she said.
Haddock-Staniland said the presence of the MPs at the festival did not indicate the foundation’s endorsement of their policies.
Rather, it reflected a “long-standing approach of visibility and accountability and actually engaging with decision-makers who choose to affect the health and the rights and the well-being of our communities”.
While she admitted the foundation had “work to do inside our organisation,” it remained “committed to holding space for a dialogue where protecting our people and upholding the kaupapa of our togetherness and our dignity and visibility sits at the heart of our events”.
However, RAT said it was “deeply upset” queer community voices had not been “listened to or taken seriously” by the Burnett Foundation.
“Politicians should not be on the stage platformed at Pride events,” Crossan said.
“Big Gay Out is a wonderful event and I was still happy to be in attendance despite my grievances with the foundation.
“I think Pride is for the community, by the community, about the community.
“If they want political advocacy, they should have reached out to activists who have been in this community for decades.”