‘No Police at Pride’ Campaign Announces Alternative Pride March For 2025

Organisers of Melbourne’s ‘No Police at Pride’ campaign have announced the creation of a ‘grassroots, community-led’ pride march for 2025, following years of advocacy against police participation in Midsumma events.

Founded in 2022, the campaign has been lobbying Midsumma to cease allowing Victoria Police to participate in Carnival and Pride March as an organisation, suggesting instead that queer officers attend as individuals separate from their employer. 

Queer Aboriginal unionist and campaign co-organiser Frank Gafa, said the new pride event would be focussed on creating a space where “all community members can come and feel safe”.

“The essence of pride is community, community involvement and community organising,” he said.

“With the [Midsumma] march in its current guise, especially with police involvement, it’s moved away from being community led, and safe for community.”

Gafa and campaign co-organiser Hiero Badge collected over 2500 signatures in a petition to the Victorian Government, calling for the cessation of police participation in Midsumma. 

Gafa said the lack of “good faith” engagement in the issue from either Midsumma and Victoria Police, was a motivating factor in creating an alternative pride.

Issues of Policing with LGBTQI Community

Police presence at pride events has been an ongoing issue, since the inaugural Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978 where police clashed with LGBTQI protesters, arresting 53 men and women. 

A survey published in 2021 by the Victoria Pride Lobby found that four in five LGBTQI Victorians do not trust Victoria Police, while over 75% of respondents did not want officers to march in uniform in the Midsumma Parade. 

In a statement, Midsumma CEO Karen Bryant acknowledged community concerns with policing culture, and said there wasn’t a “singular solution” to the “complexity of issues” around who participates in Pride March.

“Each year, we receive equal amounts of feedback both for and against the inclusion of police in Pride March – and each year we continue to assess and refine our approach to ensure Midsumma remains a platform for celebration, inclusivity, and community for all,” she said.

“Throughout the past number of years, Midsumma have been working closely with a range of community groups in relation to police involvement which has brought about a range of changes to the ways police engaged with Midsumma activities for 2022, 2023, and 2024.” 

Changing community sentiments towards Pride March

The Midsumma Pride March has faced increasing scrutiny, with some community members choosing to boycott elements of the festival in protest of police participation and pinkwashing.

Anti-police activists made headlines earlier this month after staging a protest in front of the police float, before being met with a violent response from officers. 

Civil Resistance Youth Movement activist Hantu said it was an “outright danger” to allow police to attend community events. 

“Pride is not an event you can organise or schedule with government grants and corporate sponsors. Pride is a state of being. It’s a quality of the moment, it’s not just a walk down the street that you do every year,” they said. 

Gafa said the protests have continued to escalate due to police refusing to engage with the community properly. 

“It’s really problematic that a large amount of the media around the pride march has been about protesters being violent actors, protestors being the problem.”

“We should be talking about systematic police violence against our community.”