Glittery letter to anti-gay marriage Australian MP sparks terror scare
Six police cars, six fire trucks and one hazardous materials unit were dispatched to deal with a glitter filled envelope yesterday after it appeared in the mail for an Australian lawmaker who opposes same-sex marriage.
Progressive activist group GetUp had sent the letter as part of a campaign to highlight the failure of Australia’s politicians to achieve marriage equality and it was only one of 99 glitter filled letters sent to senators and MPs from the Australian Parliament.
The letters said GetUp’s members had bought the glitter to celebrate same-sex marriages in Australia which they had hoped would be able to take place before the end of the year.
‘But your party (not the kind you buy glitter for) messed with our plans,’ the letters read.
‘We’ve had to put those plans on hold – indefinitely by the looks of it, thanks to your party’s abject confusion on the issue. And we’re really not happy about it.’
The letter said the lawmakers were being sent the glitter as until same-sex marriage is legalized nobody can make use of it.
However only the staff of Liberal backbencher Craig Laundy interpreted the letter as threatening and alerted the authorities, causing a brief terror scare.
‘6 police cars, 6 fire trucks and 1 Hazmat unit… The emergency response today when my staff found a suspicious package in our PO Box was tremendous,’ Laundy posted to Facebook yesterday about the incident.
‘It has since been discovered that it was a stupid stunt by GetUp. I’m all for organizations making contact with me, but to send any undeclared substance through the mail to the office of a Member of Parliament will inevitably cause alarm and divert important police and emergency services from their critical work.’
‘Thank you to Burwood LAC – NSW Police Force for their outstanding effort in undertaking a professional response to a grossly irresponsible act.’
Laundy is a virtual unknown in Australian politics with no political portfolio, having only been elected to parliament in 2013, and few Australian voters outside his own electorate would even know his name so his office’s response to the incident was widely ridiculed on social media.
‘I used to have Laundy liked on Facebook but I’m gone,’ one former follower wrote.
‘Sure, staff can make a mistake about glitter but continuing the error of judgement by attacking someone else shows the ongoing lack of self awareness consistent with the Liberal Party. I thought for a moment Laundy was different. Another error in judgement. This time on my part.’
‘It was a harmless act and you have over reacted to suit your own political motivations,’ another follower posted.
‘This kind of thing will keep happening until equal rights for all has been achieved in this country. It’s sad you can’t see the humor and instead choose to initiate a slander campaign. We’re talking about a group of people who’s human rights are being denied by people like you.’
Laundy later clarified that the authorities had been called before the letter was opened after a staffer, who had recently undergone security training, felt a powdery substance inside the envelope.
GetUp have since released an apology for the incident.
‘GetUp would like to express its regret for this misunderstanding and confusion,’ a spokeswoman told The Guardian Australia.
‘We hope nobody was unduly concerned for an extended period by the glitter. Obviously we regret any undue concern that this caused or any time wasted, as it was merely a way demonstrate our concern for an important issue.’
The post Glittery letter to anti-gay marriage Australian MP sparks terror scare appeared first on Gay Star News.
Andrew Potts
www.gaystarnews.com/article/glittery-letter-to-anti-gay-marriage-australian-mp-sparks-terror-scare/
Lang (right), represented by the anti-