Auckland Pride Parade's hui over police uniform ban turns into 'a circus'

Sunday, 18 November 2018

A physical scuffle broke out at a meeting of the Auckland rainbow community to discuss the ban on uniformed police marching in the city's 2019 Pride Parade.

Before the start of the meeting, an independent facilitator on behalf of the Pride board, also asked media if they had taken any notes and told them to leave the meeting at Grey Lynn Community Centre on Sunday night, which was attended by about 250 people.

The meeting was described as 'emotional' and 'a circus' by an attendee.

The Pride board sparked an uproar when it announced a week ago that police would no longer be allowed to march in the parade if they wore uniform. Instead, police were invited to 'wear T-shirts'.

Police introduced the rainbow car to be used throughout the Auckland and Wellington Pride festivals earlier this year.

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A number of attendees walked out when the scuffle broke out between an older man and a founder People Against Prisons Aotearoa. Its 'No Pride In Prisons' group has been advocating for police to be excluded from the parade.

The committee of the Auckland Pride Parade will not let officers march in uniform in its parade, in spite of 75 per cent of people at a hui on Sunday night objecting to the Auckland board's uniform ban. Pictured are uniformed officers marching in the 2018 Wellington International Pride Parade.

Another attendee, who requested not to be named in fear of the repercussions, told Stuff the meeting was a farce from start to finish.

'I couldn't see any good coming out of it,' he said. 'They obviously wildly underestimated the number of people who were going to attend and the facilitator was wildly unprepared for dealing with a group that size.'

'At one point somebody said, is there any chance the board will change their minds about the decision because of this meeting? And the chair said 'no we won't', roughly 15 people walked out.'

He said in a show of hands, the room was about 25 per cent in favour of the board's position and 75 per cent against.

'We left when the old gay amputee attacked the young trans [person],' the man said.

About 30 people left with them at that point, he added.

'I don't know why he went for her, but he'd been doing the whole 'speak English' routine, which did not go down well. I think he said that to her which is when the fight started,' he said.

However, Keith Robinson, who identified himself as the elderly amputee, denied the allegations he had attacked anyone.

Robinson admitted he had a verbal altercation with a member of No Pride in Prisons but he didn't physically attack anyone.

He said he had become upset by the meeting and was heading towards the car park to leave. To get to the car park, he had to pass members of the group, he said.

'I got up to leave and they took it as threatening so all these people jumped up in front of me and I lost my balance and fell down.

'I certainly didn't attack her physically at all.'

Last week, the board said that the decision to refuse uniformed police officers from participating in the parade was made for the safety of members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Tracy Phillips, co-ordinator of the New Zealand Police's diversity liaison officer (DLO) service, responded by saying: 'We're certainly not going to force our way in, and we've taken that message as we are not welcome.'

The decision sparked outrage in the rainbow community, many of whom said it went against the long-held pride values of inclusivity.

Philips told Stuff on Sunday night that she had attended the meeting to listen, but hadn't expected a different outcome.

Inspector Tracy Phillips of the police's diversity liaison officer service said she attended the hui on Sunday night to listen, however hadn't expected a different outcome. 'It got pretty untidy and we made a tactical withdraw.'

'It got pretty untidy and we made a tactical withdraw.'

She said the meeting changed nothing for police and their involvement in the Auckland Pride Parade.

'When the board said they had concerns about people being unsafe, we withdrew, we don't want people to feel unsafe and we don't want to feel like we aren't welcome,' she said.

'That hasn't changed and the board's position hasn't changed.'

In a Facebook post made while the meeting was still underway, Rainbow Tick chief executive Michael Stevens said organisers had underestimated the number of people wanting to attend, and the meeting had been 'a shambles'.

Stevens said the Pride Board had 'totally underestimated the depth of division they'd created with their decision. If that's how they're running the Pride Parade then God help them'.

A source told Stuff it was 'the ugliest meeting I have been to in a long time'.

'The board was never going to reverse its decision… it's the first time I have walked out in disgust.'

Louisa Wall, Labour's MP for Manurewa, said she had gone to the meeting as a member of the community, because she had 'wanted to understand how we got to this place'.

Pride Auckland chairwoman Cissy Rock was unable to be reached for comment on Sunday night.