Alcohol banned at parade
NSW Police have issued a stern warning to the tens of thousands expected to attend the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations tomorrow night that Oxford Street is an Alcohol Free Zone.
With tens of thousands of people expected to cram the Oxford Street precinct for the annual Mardi Gras parade NSW Police will be focusing on alcohol-related offences.
Assistant Commissioner Cath Burn said police will be focusing on alcohol-related offences.
The safety and security of participants and spectators is paramount and anyone detected committing offences will be arrested, Burn said.
We will also have police tasked for the protection of property from damage or defacement.
Our message is that we will be focusing on alcohol-related offences and will be conducting high-visibility and covert operations targeting licensed premises.
We make no apologies. We want to help make this a fun event for all members of the community and are working with the event organisers and key stakeholders to achieve this.
The warning included not bringing glass bottles due to the potential for injuries from broken glass; leaving unnecessary valuables at home; and wearing footwear that fully covers and protects the feet.
Other suggestions included leaving cars at home and taking public transport; being aware that road closures and diversion taking effect from 3pm Saturday,
Museum Railway Station will be closed from 5pm to 11pm Saturday to allow for the forming up of floats in Elizabeth Street.
With large crowds expected at tomorrow night’s festivities, police appealed to spectators to remain behind the barriers at all times.
We will also be targeting drug use and will have officers deployed throughout the Sydney CBD, not just Oxford Street,” Burn said.
Police in uniform and plain clothes will be out in force this year patrolling the CBD and will not tolerate dangerous, criminal or anti-social behaviour.
We have resources from the Public Order Riot Squad, Mounted Police, Dog Squad, Pol Air, Licensing and Highway Patrol in and around the city precinct locations providing a safe and secure environment.”
Well I dont know where all the police were. We were on Oxford st since 3pm.
Out side a bottle O. We had glass drinks, spirits and a take away serving hot food and pizza. And all within 50m of Taylor Sq. Drinking eating and enjoying the celebration of having freedom and being gay? Yes, we over indulged but the only problem we encountered was the rude and selfish people in the crowd, who didn’t think we as individuals were allowed to go the the toilet and return to our waiting positions, where we were since 3pm! Our group had a fantastic night as did all the people around us. And yes we were all drinking. Thank you 78’s for our liberation.
. . . . .na u dont need alcohol . There’s too many drugs there anyway.
Ummm no.. it was a good thing they banned alcohol at the parade, can you imagine all the problems from a mass of drunk people all crammed together? (it only takes one) and another thing what about the….. ohhh im not even going to bother further backing up my argument, to whinge and whine on how its not fair and how its taking away our rights is simply stupid – the point of it all was to look after everyone’s safety (including yours) HELLO???
Alcohol is the sacred cow of Australian society.
Throw in sex and Drugs and you have the holy trinity.
Addiction is a huge problem in Australian Culture and the gay community has far too much representation in proportion to our numbers.
People may get annoyed by the ban, however it worked.
Now we just need the clubs and pubs to close at midnight and police to fully enforce the “responsible service” laws.
Fine the venues, fine the staff and fine the drunk.
They’ll soon learn.
. . . .er which pub(s) were sly selling cans of beer to the crowds again this year ? !
A sidebar to David Skidmore’s comment on pub closing times in California is that the Halloween parade in San Francisco’s Castro district (always a joyful gay & lesbian celebration) was made alcohol-free a few years ago and for the same reasons that the Mardi Gras parade was declared a no-booze zone. I see no evidence that this has led to San Francisco declining as either a gay & lesbian travel destination or as a major international city.
I’m with David Skidmore – responsible people can take or leave alcohol.
hmmmmm. Ryan, I suppose that drunk homophobes bashing people they think are gay and yelling “faggot” whilst kicking their heads in shouldn’t be banned either because that is freedom being eroded and leading to a nanny state????
Seriously, alcohol is a community wide problem. Just look at was is happeing with the talk of banning alcohol for all NRL players just because a couple of players can’t handle their booze and go off assaulting people. If you can’t see that we have a serious problem with alcohol, then you need a reality check.
The ban was for one night, for one event, where there were literally 300 thousand people – mostly yobbos – which could quickly turn ugly. Why not accept this ban as a one off for the good of everyone?
But I suppose if people can’t wait TEN MINUTES!! for a drink at a bar on a regular night, then they have no hope of not having a drink at all on one night of the year!
Ryan, the “nanny state” regulates alcohol consumption when driving, in the workplace and in the water. Do you accept this or should we have the individual right to drink and drive? Or anywhere we damn well feel like?
Responsible people can take or leave alcohol. An alcohol ban at the parade was no big deal. As for alcohol availability affecting Sydney, well, think again. San Francisco and LA have 2am closing time for pubs – way earlier than Sydney. And if you want to visit a city on the basis of how quickly you can get pissed, you could have a health problem.
So 3 for the nanny state: 1 against. Interesting. Frankly, I think the lot of you need to re-visit your history books and re-learn what happens when the rights of individuals gradually keep getting eroded.
As for the alcohol ban was about lazy policing policy and nothing more – it’s a blunt instrument that snubs its nose at responsible people and makes Sydney, yet again, look like a laughing stock in its deluded and increasingly pathetic pretension to put itself out there an international city and gay destination.
I think it was a good idea banning alcohol for the duration of the parade.
I hope everyone had a safe parade. In the past, tanked-up homophobic animals have bashed gay people trying to enjoy their own parade. If the ban discouraged those sorts to stay away then keep the alcohol ban in place. People like Ryan Thompson may enjoy a beer. I certainly don’t enjoy being abused, belted or vomited on.
Ryan, There are plenty of “children” out in the crowd who are unable to manage their own drinking and behaviour.
And because they don’t have the resources to just sit and watch everyone and pull out the irresponsible louts, they have just made a blanket ban.
Just like illegal drugs in everyday life, just like countless laws that affect everyone because a few people can’t manage themselves and put others in danger.
It’s the price we pay for being a part of a community.
And personally, if you can’t go one night or occassion without an alcoholic drink, then you need to seriously consider how much you rely on alcohol to live your life.
The pubs and clubs around the strip, need to start pulling their heads in because their profit$$$$ are causing too much trouble for everyone else.
This is a ridiculous move by Surry Hill LAC Donna Adney.
It’s lazy policing and nothing more. It’s about their convenience and having a quiet night at work and nothing about a major community event.
Mardi Gras is an adult parade aimed at adults. Of course, families and children are welcome and it should be fun and safe. However, I am sick and tired of being treated like a child incapable of managing my own drinking and behaviour. We have to start standing up to this all-pervasive nanny-state in NSW. It has killed Oxford St and now they want to kill Mardi Gras in a sea of blandness and propriety.
New Mardi Gras COmmittee also needs a serve for being asleep at the wheel on this issue and letting it happen.
Do you seriously expect us to arrive on the street at 5pm, hang around for 3 hours, then watch a 3 hour parade then wait a further hour till the street settles post-parade and still create a buzzy atmosphere? That’s 7 hours without so much as a beer to make it a pleasant experience. Forget it – our group of 15 or so just rang round and decided to give it a miss and head of top a Surry Hills pub instead.