NSW Police backflip on court order, George Pell protest to go ahead

By CHRISTINE LAI

NSW Police have backflipped on their decision to block a protest by LGBTQ+ campaign group Community Action For Rainbow Rights (CARR) against late Cardinal George Pell.

On Tuesday, NSW Police sought a court injunction in a bid to prevent protesters from holding a rally outside late Cardinal George Pell’s funeral, which will be held on Thursday morning.

NSW Police raised “safety concerns” regarding the protest, stating that they had received a Form 1 for the Pell protest but “their proposed assembly” could not be “adequately mitigated without amendments to the proposal”.

NSW police commissioner Karen Webb applied for a court order to prohibit the holding of a public assembly under section 25 of the State’s Summary Offences Act (1988).

The Supreme Court’s decision on whether to grant an order to NSW Police to prevent CARR members from protesting on the street and the legality of the protest was set to be declared on Wednesday afternoon.

While awaiting the ruling, CARR organiser Kim Stern spoke to The Guardian, declaring that the group would continue with their protest against Cardinal Pell regardless of the outcome decreed by the NSW Supreme Court.

Stern criticised Cardinal Pell’s conservatism and opposition to gay rights, asserting that it was “pretty grotesque that someone who’s an arch defender of homophobia, sexism, who said abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests abusing children, gets to have a celebration of his life”.

He added that the Sydney activist group would be marching “as near as possible to the cathedral” to show that they were in opposition to what Cardinal Pell represented, and to “any attempt to suppress our democratic right to protest”.

CARR activist Eddie Stephenson said that the protest was organised to condemn a legacy by a figure who represented “right-wing conservatism” and who described homosexuality as “more unhealthy than smoking and abortion more immoral than child sexual abuse”.

“It is disgusting that anyone would want to celebrate Pell, least of all some of Australia’s most powerful politicians,” Stephenson said.

Agreement reached, no court intervention needed

However, following negotiations between NSW Police and CARR, the Supreme Court will no longer need to make a judgement as an “alternative route has been agreed to” by both parties.

Barrister Sebastian De Brennan, representative of NSW Police confirmed that there had been an agreement between CARR and the police where protesters would be able to “walk up to College Street, but not down it”.

The George Pell protest will go ahead on Thursday morning, beginning at Hyde Park North.  The new protest route has yet to be confirmed.

CARR published a statement on their Facebook page, affirming their stance against Pell’s homophobia and called on supporters of LGBTI and women’s rights to join them in sending the strong message that “we reject George Pell and everything he stood for”.

This news follows a silent protest staged on Wednesday morning by clergy abuse survivors and their supporters who tied ribbons to St Mary’s Cathedral’s fences in commemoration of all survivors who have been affected by child sexual abuse.