Co-Chair of the Auckland Pride Festival Board, Vinnie Sykes, says the No Pride in Prisons protest, which disrupted the parade, “made the parade even better”. Photo by Andrea Acknowledging that the protest delayed the beginning of the parade slightly, Sykes says that it had a positive impact on the day. He says the NPIP protest was peaceful and that protesters were given the opportunity to express themselves when it was negotiated that they could speak during the parade over the microphone. Sykes says that the protest allowed participants in the parade to engage with the public due to the stand still while the protest occurred, mentioning the the drumming group were among those who made the most of this time and started to teach those around them in the crowd to drum. He says one of the dancing groups had even prepared in case the parade came to a stand still and organised a special dance routine to fill the time. “The protest added to the parade,” he says. “everyone was backed up and ready and so when it started again there were no gaps, it was engaging and loud.” Sykes says he doesn’t quite understand why the protest group attended the parade as it seems to him to be counter intuitive after they held a rally with the specific intention to boycott the parade. “I found that a bit odd.” He says Pride, Corrections and the Police were aware of the counter rally and understood why it was going ahead. Pride had outlined a protest during the parade as a potential threat on their official risk register. Overall Sykes is very pleased with the large turnout for the Pride Parade and is very happy with the day, reaffirming that the protest “made the day even better”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 22nd February 2016 - 3:39pm