Local officers and state detectives are examining footage of Tuesday night’s attack to identify leaders of the mob who pelted the 15 protesters from Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR) with rocks and glass,ahead of another potential clash on Sunday.
Christian activist Christian Sukkar will front court in April.Supplied
Christian activist Christian Sukkar was arrested and charged with encouraging the commission of crimes after he allegedly posted a video on social media on Monday,calling on “real boys ... to shake[the protesters] up” and drag them by the hair.
He is among three people who have been charged by police over the violence. On Wednesday night,police charged a 42-year-old from Moorebank with assaulting a police officer and hindering or resisting an officer in their execution of duty.
The LGBTQ protesters,who did not want to be named because they feared for their safety,said they were ambushed when they arrived to object to One Nation leader Mark Latham’s address on parental rights at St Michael’s in Belfield.
Police sources,speaking on the condition of anonymity,said they have been watching tensions rise since the funeral of Catholic Cardinal George Pell,when Christian groups cut down ribbons tied to church fences by LGBTQ and child protection advocates.
Hundreds of people claiming to be protecting Christian beliefs have become violent with a small group of LGBTI protesters outside a church in Sydney's south-west.
Sukkar was also at the funeral. Footage showed him shouting at officers to move the protesters away. “Move them along,” he yelled. “There’s a f---ing mass going on.”
Last Saturday,CARR and religious groups – Christian and Muslim – held duelling protests in Hyde Park. A man wearing an All Christian Lives Matter T-shirt walked up to a CARR speaker and ripped a poster from her hand. Another held a sign saying:“Disrespecting Christ is not cool.”
In the lead-up to Tuesday night’s event,a CARR social media post about a protest was circulated around the religious rights community. The small group of protesters said they were quickly surrounded by the angry crowd of mostly men,some with their faces covered in black,before they reached the church.
“There was this barrage”,one protester said,as people “ran and surrounded us and started attacking us. They were attacking us with bottles,rocks,all sorts of things. They were punching girls.”
A Community Action for Rainbow Rights activist who was punched twice in the face by two men at the protest.Kate Geraghty
In footage,one man can be seen punching the head of a protester as police bring the Rainbow Rights protesters into a circle,telling them to “close your eyes”.
Video journalist Chris Debryne – who has filmed similar protests – arrived at 7pm expecting a low-key event,and was dragged into the melee. He was thrown to the ground and surrounded by a group of men. “It’s the angriest protest I’ve ever been to,and I’ve covered more than 100,” he said.
“It’s the same story as every protest,you’ve got your non-violent ideological supporters,and you’ve got your hangers on looking for a fight,” Debryne said. “The narrative is[concern about] trans rights;‘Stay away from my kids’.”
In the video,Sukkar – who attended,despite an earlier approach from police – distanced himself from Christian Lives leader Charlie Bakhos,who says he was not involved in the violence.
Members of the Community Action for Rainbow Rights group were surrounded by counter-protesters outside St Michael’s Church in Belfield where One Nation leader Mark Latham was giving a speech.
Sukkar said Bakhos and his followers could go and say the rosary at St Charbel’s,a Maronite church in Punchbowl.
“To the real boys,to the real motherf---ing Gs,you go there tomorrow and you f---ing shake them up and you drag them by their f---ing head and you remove them from St Michael’s Belfield,” Sukkar said in the video.
“Time to rise,time to let them know where we stand... Peace be with youse tomorrow.” He will face court in April.
Bakhos said his members were at St Michaels praying the rosary before the forum. However,he added religious people across Sydney felt that they were shunned because of their faith. “Everybody is upset. Discrimination is very bad,” he said.
A crowd surrounds a man who was pushed to the ground during the confrontation.Nine
He denied knowing “90 per cent” of the people who gathered on the street to oppose the Rainbow Rights protesters,but said those men were “thinking these[CARR] guys were going to attack the church,and attack people of faith”. Bakhos has not been charged and cannot be seen in any video of the violent attacks.
Next Sunday,Christian Lives plans to mark the Day of the Unborn Child with a march. On a social media post,the timing of which was unclear,Rainbow Rights called on its members to attend and “counter-protest anti-abortion bigots”.
NSW Independent MP Alex Greenwich,a strong supporter of LGBTQ and trans rights,accused Latham of inciting hate.
Greenwich has been a recent victim of online threats,with a man arrested on Wednesday after telling him “me and my mates want to take you for a walk at North Head”,where gay men have been murdered.
“Mark Latham is a disgusting human being and people who are considering voting for One Nation need to realise they are voting for an extremely hateful and dangerous individual who risks causing a great deal of damage to our state,” he said.
Latham condemned the violence but said the concerns of the protesters about parents’ rights were legitimate. “What sort of parent would say ‘The school can tell my 10-year-old to be a boy[rather than] a girl and I don’t care?’ I know the concerns are real.”
Premier Dominic Perrottet described the confrontation as disgraceful and unacceptable. “Diversity should be celebrated and accepted,and people should remember that ultimately we treat people with respect,” he said.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the violence was unfortunate because “I think the election campaign has been quite respectful from all political parties,and we need to make sure that we continue that in the last three days”.
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