Emergency Meeting To Discuss Far-Right Action Called By Victorian Councils
Image: Drag Storytime at the Royal Melbourne Hospital/Facebook
Councils across Victoria gathered on Thursday to discuss “the rising levels of unpredictable and disruptive behaviour at meetings over the last few months”.
Over 100 representatives from councils across the state convened in an emergency meeting to address the recent spike in far-right action against local bodies hosting LGBTQ+ events.
“The ongoing behaviour we have seen at council meetings is threatening and unpredictable and it has no place in our communities,” says Cr David Clark, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), in a statement.
Zero Tolerance For Disruption
Cr Clark mentions a new, zero-tolerance approach to disruptive individuals and behaviour at council meetings, with councils working closely with police in an effort to protect the community’s most vulnerable members from those who would do them harm.
“Councils are working closely with Victoria Police to ensure appropriate security measures are in place when needed,” said the Councillor.
“[Such behaviour] shouldn’t be accepted at any level of government, […] as the people most at risk are often other community members who are in the gallery with the disruptive people.”
Over 11 queer-focused events have been cancelled across Australia due to anti-LGBTQ+ action over the past six months, most notably a slew of council-hosted drag storytime events throughout Victoria.
Through picketing, petitions, and social media harassment, fringe far-right groups and related individuals have effectively frightened councils from providing adequate representation of all its citizens – “disrupting democracy”.
“Accountability To The Community”
Cr Clark discusses how being “aligned to the community” is a key responsibility of all local councils, while unruly behaviour actively prevents it.
“A key take-out from the meeting was to ensure councils clearly understood the issues they are facing,” Cr Clark said.
“Local governments take their accountability to their communities seriously.”
Concluding, Cr Clark acknowledges that such organised attacks on LGBTQ+ events are part of a larger “global trend” of disorderly action, and urges solidarity in the interim.
“Victorian councils are being caught up in what is a global trend of community disruption and we need to act together and consistently in response to these issues.”
