At least three people were attacked near Sydney's gay centre Oxford St last weekend, in a new spate of anti-gay violence. One known incident occurred at Taylor Square on Sunday afternoon, in which one man was punched in the face and another was hit over the head with a bottle. The injured men were rushed to St Vincent's Hospital and have since been released. One of the alleged offenders was arrested by police and charged with assault. The AIDS Council of New South Wales' Anti-Violence Project coordinator Carl Harris said the attack was one of a number of bashings in the Oxford St precinct at the weekend, but the victims were yet to come forward. “One of the biggest problems we face in terms of improving security around Oxford St is the fact that most victims of, witnesses to, homophobic violence don't report it,” he said. “As a result, the stats are a lot lower than they should be, which in turn diminishes the need for action to be taken by the relevant authorities. “So we're encouraging anyone who was a victim of or who witnessed any homophobic violence in the Oxford St area over the weekend to please report it to the police and us.” NSW Police gay, lesbian and transgender spokeswoman Superintendent Karen Webb said Surry Hills police were trained to identify and act on homophobic crime. “There are also a number of trained gay and lesbian liaison officers based at Surry Hills and other commands that can provide services to victims if required,” she said. However, ACON CEO Stevie Clayton said more visible policing was needed along the strip. “Violence of any kind is completely unacceptable,” she said. “We've been campaigning for years for a range of security measures to be implemented to better protect people in our community.” Surry Hills Superintendent Daryl Donnolley said officers ran frequent high visibility and plainclothes operations in the area. A City of Sydney Council spokesperson said the council had implemented a number of safety initiatives, including CCTV cameras. He was unable to clarify when the joint patrols of Oxford St would take place. Ref: Sydney Star Observer (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 9th August 2007 - 10:32am