NSW politician Fred Nile has collapsed after speaking at protest against Channel Ten’s The Project.
Warning: This story has details of comments which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Paramedics were called after the 88-year-old Nile fell to the ground; he was carried away on a stretcher. Nile had spoken briefly alongside his wife Silvana who delivered a speech.
Religious campaigner and politician Fred Nile has collapsed during a protest outside of Channel 10 studio. #TheAdvertiser https://t.co/G96PfX2Tlz
— The Advertiser (@theTiser) March 11, 2023
Nile announced he was leaving the New South Wales parliament and gave his valedictory speech last year, but he has since renominated for election. Following the collapse of his Chistian Democrats party, he is now standing alongside his wife for the unregistered Revive Australia Party.
The politician who has campaigned against gay rights, abortion rights and annually prayed for rain on the day of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, was at the protest outside Channel 10’s Pyrmont offices following a joke made a fortnight ago by comedian Rueben Kaye.
“I love Jesus, I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more,” Kaye said after sharing stories about how Christians are constantly contacting him on social media and harassing him for being gay.
The protest was organised by Christian Lives Matter, the Facebook group created by Sydney man Charlie Bakhos. Bakhos recently denied his group had any involvement in a group of men who marched through Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Newtown intimidating people and has also denied the group was involved in a series of paint attacks of several LGBTIQA+ street art pieces.
Silvana Nile told the small crowd that they were not condemning or judging members of the LGBTIQA+ community, but simply showing love and “praying for your souls”. Silvana Nile said she believed there were “homosexuals or transvestites” among the crowd who have become Christians.
Millie Fontana, who is running ion the New South Wales election for the Liberal Democrats, addressed the crowd saying she wished we lived in a world where people kept their sexuality private.
Fontana came to prominence in the lead up to the marriage equality postal survey in 2017. As a donor conceived child raised by two lesbian mothers she spoke out against same-sex marriage and allowing children to being raised outside of families with opposite sex parents.
The Liberal Democrat candidate said there needed to be more people like herself, Silvana Nile and intendent candidate Lyle Shelton in the New South Wales parliament to stop Alex Greenwich’s bill that stops conversion therapy being passed.
The protesters were also encouraged to attend a protest at Reuben Kaye’s Sydney show at the Enmore Theatre later this month.
“That show is not to go through, that show is not to go ahead, we’re going to rock up in numbers and that show is to go through, no matter what happens, he does not perform on that day.” an unidentified speaker told the crowd.
OIP Staff
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