Michael West Media (MWM) interviewed five people and watched videos (not all of which are public) that show NSW Police attacking people and forcing them out of the parade, on February 28, without justification.

All had tickets to join the parade and had waited in the holding areas for some time, admiring other floats and chatting before moving towards the march entrance with the Drag Kings float.

They received no warning before being attacked.

One was carrying a Palestinian flag, which a police officer grabbed. She was then assaulted, with four police officers ending up on top of her while she was calling for help.

There is no Mardi Gras rule against carrying country flags; there were Scottish flags and a whole float from Taiwan, quite apart from hundreds of brand flags. 

MWM has also seen a video of the same person being assaulted by Federal Police in last December.

MWM also interviewed marcher Maeve Nelli, who was assaulted, and then made an Instagram post. Nelli had been invited to march with the Drag Kings. He was excited as this was his first parade. He described how police had their hands on his throat and threw him to the ground. His personal belongings and medication were on a trolley that continued in the parade after he was dragged outside. Nelli suffered physical bruising and a severe panic attack

Another Drag King was pulled by her hair and flung against a fence, which collapsed. She was picked up and thrown down again. Others were forced out of the parade by lines of police.

NSW Police said four people were arrested during Mardi Gras, but MWM can find no evidence of that. None of the people violently ejected were charged. This puts the onus back on them to take action against the police and requires briefing lawyers.

While NSW police were assaulting marchers, they had an official float in the parade.

This latest episode of police brutality highlights the escalation in authoritarian policing of protests, evident at last year’s Weapons Expo when pepper spraying was used on peaceful protesters and at the........

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