Roughly six ‘no’ voters tried to get a reaction from “those tolerant bigots” on Oxford St
Image: Image: Facebook / Nicholas Folkes.
Roughly six No voters held signs claiming that “straight lives matter” and “it’s okay to vote no” at a recent pro-marriage equality concert held in Sydney’s Taylor Square.
The campaigners, led by Nicholas Folkes from the far-right Party for Freedom, stood to the side of the stage hoping to provoke a response from the hundreds of LGBTI people and their allies present at the concert.
Earlier in the day, Folkes posted his group’s intentions, saying that they were conducting a social experiment.
“Vote No activists are hitting the streets today asking SSM Yes campaigners and supporters why they’re so aggressive and violent towards No supporters,” he wrote.
“Let’s see the reaction we get from those “tolerant” bigots.”
The group first stood outside Newtown train station, before heading to the Post Your Yes street party which had been organised by Australian Marriage Equality.
The free concert saw artists Ricki-Lee, John Paul Young, and Alfie Arcuri perform onstage to support marriage equality.
In a live video from the event, Folkes said that the group hadn’t encountered any hostility from Yes supporters.
“We’ve come down here to talk to the Yes campaigners and see what sort of reaction we get,” he said.
“We were down at Newtown train station earlier and to be honest it was pretty civil.”
Members of the LGBTI community and their allies took to social media to express how wonderful the street party had been.
Thank you @TheRickiLee 💕❤️💕#PostYourYES 🎉 pic.twitter.com/x2MiGAFtbp
— Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (@sydneymardigras) October 8, 2017
Thank you to the amazing @AlfieArcuri @TheRickiLee @pekingduk and John Paul Young for rocking our #PostYourYes Street Party pic.twitter.com/XU71LVy3Xz
— Alex Greenwich MP (@AlexGreenwich) October 8, 2017
Had an amazing time at the @AMEquality #VoteYes party. 🏳️🌈❤️🐶 pic.twitter.com/wVuW8CNKeX
— Chicken the Pug (@ChickenThePug) October 8, 2017
Posting our YES votes at the Post-Your-YES-Vote party in Taylor Square. . . . . . #PostYourYES #VoteYES #MarriageEquality #sydney #sydneylif pic.twitter.com/FiAjComggf
— DJ Dan Murphy (@DJDanMurphy) October 8, 2017
Good ‘Ol JPY!
It is easy to dismiss these people, and others like them such as ‘coalition for marriage (responsible for those vilifyong ‘no’ tv ads), as psychotic, or misguided.
I listened, out of interest, to their point of view during their green square ‘presentation’. There was some priest (I presume, or religious nutter) who was making claims about being gay which were no less than lies.
These people, including their religious allies hide behind (religious) freedom of speech- whilst trotting out the usual scare tactics of ‘protecting children and the family’ from gay and lesbian people.
History has shown with ample evidence that it is the CHURCH whom one needs to protect children from…
‘Party for Freedom’? …don’t they mean ‘Party *from* Freedom’?
I wonder how many of these ‘special’ people are closets (ie: “they duth protesteth too much”).
I had written on another forum (FB?) to go to them & take their written materials– & them dump them into the nearest bin. Better to “disarm” their hateful, written rhetoric than to leave it behind to be distributed at other venues.
So, if you do happen to pass any of these haters– take their paperwork & dump it– into a recycle bin, of course. Or, use it for your budgie cage.
;)
Oh no, once again the No campaign are victims because their plans to aggravate progressive Australians didn’t amount to anything.
It’s all well and good to be civil but won’t somebody think of the poor wannabe victims in the No campaign?
On a serious note, well done to all for turning the other cheek.