NSW Police have apologised for kicking a notable LGBT advocate out of the 2022 Mardi Gras in what event organisers have called an appalling incident in breach of protocol.
On March 5, Barbara Karpinski attended the Mardi Gras parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as one of the honoured "78ers" — a first-generation Mardi Gras protester who took to the streets of Sydney in 1978.
The inaugural parade along Oxford Street ended in extreme police brutality which prompted an apology from NSW Police in 2016 to all 78ers.
But now in 2022, police have been forced to apologise to Ms Karpinski once more.
Ms Karpinski attended this year's parade holding pro-Ukraine posters and wearing a shirt emblazoned with a photo of her being violently arrested at the first Mardi Gras.
The posters showed hand-drawn Ukrainian flags with peace symbols and Russian words that translated to: "Peace Not War, No Putin" and "Love and Peace Not War."
Ms Karpinski told the ABC police approached her and confiscated the posters only five minutes after she arrived at the allocated seating for '78ers in the SCG.
"I was approached by a police officer who said that there had been a report of something 'offensive' as nothing 'political' or 'controversial' is allowed in a licensed venue. The police regarded the whole of the SCG as a licensed venue," Ms Karpinski said.
"I was in the seating area taking photos and looking forward to a quiet night watching the floats."
NSW Police would not answer specific questions from the ABC about why Ms Karpinski was ejected, but she said, to her knowledge, it was purely about the posters.
She said an officer told her they had received a complaint from someone who found the posters offensive.
"The police have not revealed where this anonymous report came from ... was it the security company, was it another police officer or was it a member of the public? And did the police keep a record of that?"
Ms Karpinski said four police officers gathered to deal with the incident, which she described as "frightening".
"When the police gathered round me, I felt a sense of uneasy prescience, of déjà vu and memories of ’78 resurfaced."
Mardi Gras, which began as a protest, has always maintained an activist flavour and participants in the parade often display signs or floats with political messages.
Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger believes the police officers in question involved failed to follow protocol.
"[They] had no right to act in this way," he said.
"We are appalled and angry that this incident took place."
NSW Police told the ABC they were taking the matter "very seriously" and conducting inquiries to determine why and how the incident unfolded and ensure it was never repeated.
"We apologise sincerely to the 78er who was asked to leave and to all 78ers and the LGBTIQA+ communities broadly," a spokesperson said.
"Our dialogue and communication with the LGBTIQA+ communities will continue to build on the solid relationship we have established together."
But Mr Kruger believes the "unjust" actions of the police involved had unravelled the years of work put into repairing the relationship between the NSW Police and LGBT community.
"The actions of these officers go against everything Mardi Gras stands for. We will not tolerate actions like this that jeopardise the safety of our community," Mr Kruger said.
"We've expressed these sentiments along with our severe disappointment to NSW Police."
Ms Karpinski, who advocated for the 2016 parliamentary apology to the '78ers, has called for a transparent detailed account of the incident from police and a review of safety protocols at Mardi Gras.
"This incident is a worrying reminder that while we have made great strides in LGBTQI rights, even the safest spaces are not always safe if police and security services get things wrong," she said.
This year's Mardi Gras parade was attended by more than 43,000 people and police conducted a "highly visible" operation at the event.
Prior to the parade, Assistant Commissioner Gelina Talbot warned that anyone who "acts in a way that contradicts [the] celebratory spirit through anti-social or other criminal behaviour" will be removed by police.
On the night, four people were arrested for entering the pitch during the parade at about 8:45pm but police said the overall behaviour of attendees was commendable.
