Lidia Thorpe has been forced to the ground by police after she tried to disrupt British trans critic Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s speech at the Let Women Speak rally outside Parliament House.
The former Greens turned independent ‘black sovereignty’ movement senator claimed she was ‘pulverised’ by police as she attempted to storm the stage while Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, spoke.
She slammed the decision to let Keen-Minshull, who she referred to as ‘filth’, into the country or to speak on Aboriginal land.
Keen-Minshull has been travelling around Australia addressing protest marches in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart – sparking ferocious counter demonstrations by pro-LGBTQI activists.
She stood alongside One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts to give a speech at a rally outside Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, that was attended by both trans critics and more than 100 pro-trans protesters.
Lidia Thorpe (pictured) has attempted to storm the podium during British trans critic Posie Parker’s speech for the Let Women Speak rally outside parliament house on Thursday
The former Greens turned independent ‘black sovereignty’ movement senator was intercepted by police and forced to the ground
Senator Thorpe attempted to storm the stage where Keen-Minshull was speaking before she was intercepted by police and was forced by officers to the ground.
Ms Thorpe, who was holding an Aboriginal flag during the chaos, quickly crawled away as officers tried to lift her up.
She proceeded to storm off back towards the large group of pro-trans protesters.
As the rain bore down on Canberra, hundreds of anti-Posie protesters inundated Keen-Minshull’s’pro women’ rally, separated on the lawns of Parliament House by two dozen police officers.
Protesters antagonized pro-trans demonstrators by holding signs which read ‘tomboys are not boys’, ‘protest the innocence of children’ and ‘libraries are for books, not perversion’.
Slogans include ‘bigots in the bin’, ‘f*** off Posie f**k off’ and ‘you’ve got Nazis on your side’
Some of those gathered told Daily Mail Australia it was the first time they’d protested, spurred primarily by the ‘hateful’ rhetoric of Keen-Minshull in her national tour of Australia this month.
Rain bore down on Canberra as Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (pictured) spoke outside parliament house for the rally
Keen-Minshull was joined by One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts at the demonstration
More than 100 anti-trans protesters gathered at the rally holding signs that read ‘bigots in the bin’, ‘f*** off Posie f**k off’ and ‘you’ve got Nazis on your side’
Simon, 23, said he ‘couldn’t stand by knowing she’s in my city’, was not even deterred by the Grey skies and pouring rain.
‘A bit symbolic, I think,’ he said.
In the background, those gathered around him chanted ‘f***k off,’ at one stage needing to be held back by police as they attempted to push forward.
On the other side of the lawn, pro-women protesters were jeering and dancing, taunting the crowd as Keen-Minshull spoke about the ‘gender crisis’ occurring in Australia.
‘It’s the next lobotomy scandal except this time we’re doing it to children,’ she claimed.
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of musical instruments and jeers, but those gathered to support her clapped and cheered anyway as she vowed to never stop the fight for women’s rights.
‘We say the things we’re sometimes scared to say in our real lives without giving a shit about what people say around us,’ she said.
‘I have to have a police bloody escort from the airport because I said women don’t have penises. It’s bloody revolting.’
One Nation senator Pauline Hanson is pictured giving a speech at the Let Women Speak rally
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Protesters antagonized pro-trans demonstrators by holding signs which read ‘protest the innocence of children’ and ‘libraries are for books, not perversion’
After Ms Thorpe’s attempted disruption of Keen-Minshull’s speech, the former Greens senator blasted the decision to let the controversial speaker into the country.
‘We do not tolerate this kind of filth being on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country, let alone the nazi support that these people have,’ she said.
‘They are racist, they are homophobic, they are destroying people’s lives. This country should be ashamed that they even let people like this into this country.’
‘I went to tell her that they are not welcome here, and I got pulversied by the police by simply telling that person that they are not allowed to be here.’
‘I’ve been assaulted by the police today as a sovereign Gunnai, Gunditjmara, DjabWurrung woman and the police need to answer for the assault but also this government needs to answer why these people are allowed into the country.’
More to come.
LIDIA THORPE’S PROTEST AGAINST POLICE AT SYDNEY’S MARDI GRAS
Lidia Thorpe has said she’s ‘proud’ of her protest at Mardi Gras after she laid down in the middle of the parade and clashed with police.
The former Greens senator drew boos from the crowd as she disrupted the parade along Oxford Street in Sydney.
Daily Mail Australia watched as Senator Thorpe suddenly crashed the police section of the parade holding her arms crossed above her head yelling ‘f**k the police’.
After chasing down officers as they marched, she repeatedly yelled her slogan in their faces as others confronted her.
She then jumped in front of the Australian Federal Police float and laid down on the ground, bringing it to a stop.
Senator Thorpe addressed her behaviour the morning after, saying she was ‘proud’ of her action.
‘Black and brown trans women started the first pride march as a protest against police violence,’ she wrote on Twitter.
‘Today, we still face violence from police. Proud to have joined the #PrideInProtest float in Sydney to say #NoPrideInGenocide, #NoPrideInPrisons and #NoCopsInPride.’
Senator Thorpe was later pictured lying on her back in front of a float as it tried to travel down Oxford Street as two police officers asked her to move on amid ‘boos’ from the crowd
Footage of her protest circulated around social media on Sunday morning with her antics drawing plenty of criticism.
‘She’s zero respect for LGBTQIA people. The woman is a disgrace!’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘Is there anywhere that Lidia Thorpe can go and just act like a normal human being?
‘Is it really that hard to conduct yourself in a decent manner??’
‘In a desperate attempt for attention & relevance, activist Lidia Thorpe lays down in front of #MardiGras2023 parade float preventing it from moving forward, scuffles with police & allegedly yelled “F*** the police”,’ a third person wrote.
‘A total disgrace to elected office!’
No charges were laid and there was no arrests.
Ms Thorpe marched with the ‘No Pride in Genocide’ float, who campaign for zero police presence at Mardi Gras and was earlier pictured wearing First Nations colours and holding an Aboriginal Flag handbag.
Senator Thorpe wore Aboriginal colours and held a ‘No Pride in Genocide’ sign to the iconic parade
