Sydney Man Charged Over Attack On LGBT Activists Stands By ‘Drag Them By Their Head’ Remark

Christian Sukkar, charged with encouraging violence on LGBTQI activists protesting a speech by One Nation MP Mark Latham outside a Sydney church, said he stood by his “drag them by their head” remarks.

Sukkar appeared before the Bankstown Court House on Tuesday and indicated that he will plead guilty to the charge of encouraging the commission of crimes, reported Nine News.

“I believe I’ve done nothing wrong,” he told reporters outside the court.

He said that his message to the LGBTQI activists was “Stay away from our church, stay away from our children. It sends the right message,”

Adam Richard Touma charged with assaulting a police officer and affray pleaded not guilty. A third man charged with assault is set to make his first appearance in Bankstown Court House next month.

A man, charged with inciting a violent scuffle between One Nation supporters and a small group of protesters outside a Belfield church, today said he stands by his actions. @biancabalzer #9News pic.twitter.com/lXxeHbh0jH

— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) April 11, 2023

The Violent Clash

The incident on March 21, 2023, saw a mob of around 250 far-right Christian men rushing 15 peaceful protestors, who were protesting outside the St Michael the Archangel church in Belfield in Southwest Sydney where NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham was due to give a speech.

The activists from Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR) were protesting against Latham’s “anti-trans” speech. The mob, some wearing Christian Lives Matter t-shirts, attacked the LGBTQI activists, punching them in the face multiple times and hitting them with rocks and bottles.

In a video filmed prior to the attack, Sukkar encouraged “real boys” to attack the LGBTQI activists who were planning to protest against Latham’s speech at the Church.

“There is only one way, and that is to grab them, and you drag them by their fucking hair, and you f**king get ’em out of there.” He said those who wanted to pray the rosary should go to the vigil. “To the real boys… you go there tomorrow, and you fucking shake them up, and you drag them by their fucking head, and you remove them from St Michael’s Belfield…time to rise. Time to let them know where we stand.”

CARR reposted Sukkar’s video, accusing Sukkar as “one of the far right thugs who punched and attacked LGBTI+ activists at Belfield.”

An Apology

Sukkar subsequently apologised and claimed that people shouldn’t have taken his words literally.

He told ABC that the video he had filmed prior to the meeting wasn’t meant to encourage violence

“I was just singing the song, when you watch these rappers … they don’t literally mean go shoot up, go knock people out, it’s just a song,” he told the ABC. “Somebody has taken it out and blown it out of proportion.”

He told ABC that he made a separate video before the church event, encouraging people to be peaceful and not violent.