Lydia Thorpe’s Bizarre Mardi Gras Protest Stops Parade

Footage shows her temporarily halting the march while police try to remove her.

In a video of the incident shared on social media, the independent senator can be seen lying on his back directly in front of the float.

Two police officers approached Senator Thorpe as the crowd began to boo.

“Throw her away! Get her off,” can be heard chanting one of the crowd during the incident.

There is a principled protest, there is “Look at me, I am more holy than you!”

Lydia Thorpe chasing another cause and disrupting Mardi Gras is crossing that line. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/psA0CCqQaK

— Andrew Gardiner (@AJGardineresq) February 25, 2023

Then Senator Thorpe stood up and was seen talking to the police and Mardi Gras crew.

“Last night around 9pm, a woman lay in front of a float on Oxford Street, temporarily disrupting the progress of the parade,” NSW Police told AAP on Sunday.

“She was subsequently removed from the parade at the request of the organizers for violating the conditions of participation.”

The point the Victorian senator was trying to make an escaped audience, and her first tweet after the incident, gave no clue.

Black and brown trans women have started the first pride march in protest against police violence. Even today, we face police violence.I am proud to have participated in #PrideInProtest Floating in Sydney to say #NoPrideInGenocide, #NoPrideIn Prisonsand #NoCopsInPride

— Senator Lydia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) February 25, 2023

A spokesman for Sydney Mardi Gras confirmed the parade was interrupted when Senator Thorpe tried to protest.

“While we respect the right of individuals to protest, suspending the parade in this way has serious implications for the safety of participants and audiences,” a spokesperson said.

The AAP has reached out to Senator Thorpe’s office for comment.

-with AAP