TV host complains that Pride parade didn’t have ‘anti-ISIS’ float

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A right-wing TV host has complained that there was no ‘anti-ISIS’ float at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Andrew Bolt made the claim this morning on The Bolt Report, attacking the LGBT community for not using the gay rights celebration to condemn Islamic State.

He said: “The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras had 150 floats last night… not one float protested against the killing of gays by Islamic State, which I thought was rather more serious than Catholic church problems.”

He added: “The left have seen [it] as an excuse to show that the right are bigots and racist against Islam, so let’s overlook any reason for genuine concern.”

Mr Bolt claimed that “gay groups [are] absolutely silent about the persecution of gays” by IS, and also questioned the absence of Australian artists protesting the destruction of historical artefacts by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State have released a number of propaganda videos showing the brutal executions of gay men in the past few months. The group also threatened to throw gays off the Leaning Tower of “Pizza”.

Former Labour MP Gary Johns claimed gay rights groups were “self-indulgent”, telling Bolt: “I’m in favour of gay rights, and feminist rights… but both those groups have become in Australia self-indulgent.

“It’s all about them and their job prospects. So there’s no solidarity with gays and women around the world and essentially, they’re anti-Western.”

Columnist Judith Sloan added: “Where is the left on this sort of thing? Here is essentially a medieval group, who has just the most appalling attitudes towards women, towards anyone who doesn’t hold their specific faith… it’s all very neutered, isn’t it?”