Key Points
- The event began with a moment of silence for Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
- Qantas commemorated flight attendant Davies on its parade float.
- Thousands are taking part in the Mardi Gras event this year.
Hundreds of thousands gathered in Oxford Street for the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday as revellers mourned and celebrated the lives of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
The event began with a moment of silence for the young couple who were allegedly murdered by a serving police officer last week.
The bodies of Davies, 29, and Baird, 26, were found at a rural property in Bungonia near Goulburn, about 200km southwest of the city, on Tuesday.
The Mardi Gras parade paid tribute to Luke Davies (left) and Jesse Baird. Source: Instagram / NSW Police
Float organiser Jane O'Keefe, who has been taking part in the parade for years, said she felt the loss of the couple but is all the more determined to give her very best for crowds.
"Our community's very used to death," she said. "There will not be one of us marching that hasn't been heartbroken and grieving, but we can be both."
Parade-leading motorcycle club Dykes on Bikes paused in Taylor Square to signal a moment of silence, Mardi Gras organisers said in a statement.
"This moment of commemoration serves as a powerful reminder of the bonds that unite us and the memories of those we hold dear," they said.
Qantas commemorated flight attendant Davies on its parade float while the AFL is expected to announce a tribute for umpire Baird in the coming weeks.
A vigil at Green Park in Sydney's east honoured their lives on Friday night.
Anti-violence protesters and police clash ahead of Mardi Gras
It follows clashes between LGBTIQ+ community members and police on the eve of Mardi Gras, with protesters accusing officers of "instigating violence".
Around 300 people gathered at Sydney's Taylor Square on Friday night to protest against police violence and called for members of the force to be removed from , according to activist group Pride in Protest.
They then took to Oxford Street, where they were met by police. Video footage shows protesters chanting "go home pigs" and "no cops, no bigots" as police physically move them off the road.
Protesters allege officers instigated violence against those taking part in the demonstration and began pushing, hitting, and threatening people.
"We came out in numbers on the eve of Mardi Gras to protest systemic police violence still present in our community some 46 years after the 78ers first marched down Oxford Street," Wei, a Pride in Protest member, said.
"Police have shown us time and time again that they are not our friends, they don't protect our community, rather they abuse and put some of our most vulnerable community members in direct harm."
NSW police said officers responded to reports of an unauthorised protest and directed the crowd off the road for their own safety.
"About 8.30pm, the group moved onto the roadway, blocking all vehicle traffic at the intersection of Oxford and Flinders Street. With the assistance of additional police, the crowd were directed to move onto the footpath," NSW police said in a statement.
"Those who did not comply with police directions were physically removed."
The crowd later dispersed, with part of the group heading to the Sydney Police Centre, where they continued to protest.
"As the group dispersed, they moved onto Goulburn Street, again blocking vehicle traffic before police intervened moving them onto the footpath," NSW police said.
There were no reports of any property being damaged, people being injured, or any arrests being made, police said.
The Mardi Gras board on Monday asked NSW police not to take part in Saturday's parade, due to the additional distress it could cause the LGBTIQ+ community following Baird and Davies' deaths.
But on Wednesday afternoon, it was announced .
