Police in New South Wales have not been invited to Mardi Gras for the first time in 20 years following the alleged murder of a gay couple by an officer.
The shocking move was made by the Mardi Gras board on Monday night and will ban police from marching for the first time in 20 years.
The controversial decision comes after the alleged deaths of two gay men at the hands of New South Wales police officer Beaumont Lamarre-Condon.
Channel Ten presenter and Lamarre-Condon’s ex-boyfriend Jesse Baird and her new boyfriend, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, were allegedly murdered at a house in Paddington, in Sydney’s east.
NSW Police were not invited to march at Mardi Gras for the first time in 20 years after one of their officers, Beaumont Lamarre-Condon (pictured left at Mardi Gras in 2020), allegedly killed a gay couple.
Police are desperately trying to find out what happened to Baird and Davies, who were last seen a week ago, with search sites set up in Cronulla, Newcastle and multiple dams in the Southern Tablelands.
Police allege the 28-year-old senior constable was in Newcastle on Thursday night, where cleaned a van, allegedly used to move the couple’s bodies, before turning himself in on Friday in Bondi p.police station.
Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of murder and remains in protective custody after being denied bail.
It is understood several Mardi Gras board members disagreed with the decision to disinvite NSW Police from their parade and want the decision to be reviewed.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb, who has personally participated in the parade celebrating queer relationships and identities for several years, said the decision left her “disappointed and dismayed.”
“We are human, we are representative of the community we serve and that is why we should be there,” he said. The Daily Telegraph.
‘The conversations we have been having revolve around the lack of crime reporting in the queer community. How is this going to help?
Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured center at Mardi Gras 2022) said organizers’ decision left her “disappointed and dismayed.”
Commissioner Webb described the decision as “illogical”.
“I understand the mistrust and concern about this matter, but I do not blame the entire organization for the actions of a single individual,” he said.
However, the alleged murder of Baird and Davies may have been the turning point in the organisers’ decision.
Pressure has grown in recent years to remove parade officers, and many Mardi Gras participants feel the festival is moving away from its original purpose as a protest.
However, New South Wales MP Alex Greenwich called the decision a step in the wrong direction.
“I want police to support the LGBTQ+ community every day, and that includes the Mardi Gras parade,” he said.
“There is a lot of work to do to improve community safety and we must do it together.”
Channel Ten presenter and Lamarre-Condon’s ex-boyfriend Jesse Baird (right) and her new boyfriend, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies (left), were allegedly murdered at a house in Paddington, in Sydney’s east.
The shocking ban came after Commissioner Webb issued a historic apology to the families of LGBTQ+ victims following Judge John Sakkar’s report into police brutality and hate crimes in the 1980s and 1990s.
On Monday he met with NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley, Greenwich and other members of the community.
‘So that they remove us [from Mardi Gras] based on, I guess, the actions of a person who is currently charged in court doesn’t make sense to me,” Commissioner Webb said.
“I think getting past this is including NSW Police in the Mardi Gras and saying we’re in this together on the basis that we recognize the pain of the past and not conflate this with the issue of the former officer in court.” .
Commissioner Webb also addressed the NSW Police’s troubled early history with Mardi Gras parades, adding: “We have been building a bridge with the gay and lesbian community since the police brutalized the 78ers in their day”.
At the inaugural Mardi Gras in 1978, police arrested 53 people and dozens more were brutally attacked and beaten by officers.
At the time, protesters celebrated Mardi Gras in hopes of decriminalizing homosexuality.
Their demands were met in 1994 with the adoption of the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mardi Gras for comment.
Many Mardi Gras participants have called for NSW Police (pictured at the 2019 parade) to be removed from the parade, but Commissioner Webb believes the decision will worsen the chronic “under-reporting of crime in the queer community”.