While he’s currently in Canberra throwing a hissy fit about how the independent report into the Safe Schools Coalition found nothing wrong with it, protesters have trashed Cory Bernarndi‘s Adelaide office.
Marching into the office chanting slogans such as “racist, sexist, anti-queer, Bernardi is not welcome here” over 20 students occupied the Grenfell St office, scrawling abusive messages directed at the Senator and hanging a banner. The protesters had some gold slogans too including “Australia’s Trump” and my favourite “eat rainbow, bigot!”
Protest at Corey Bernardi’s office against his stance on Safe Schools. pic.twitter.com/pntAXnWdi9
— Leah MacLennan (@lmaclennan) March 18, 2016
University students protesting at Bernardi’s office in response to safe schools coalition @TenNewsADEL pic.twitter.com/OD3GKfMSym
— Natarsha Kallios (@NKallios) March 18, 2016
Senator Cory Bernadi’s office trashed by protestors over calls to close Safe Schools program #9newscomau pic.twitter.com/u23PfBQIXZ
— Tracy Alexander (@talexander_9) March 18, 2016
Speaking to the Adelaide Advertiser past president of Flinders University Student Association Grace Hill said the protesters were “sick of Cory Bernardi’s attitude, his attacks on young people and refugees”.
Elaborating, Ms Hill explained that Mr Bernardi’s stance on the Safe Schools program, which teaches students to support gender diversity, was “explicitly homophobic and transphobic.
“He wants our (gay and transgender) youth to disappear, and we are not going to let that happen,” she said.
The Senator’s wife and some staffers were present, taking refuge in other rooms, with Police arriving at 12:30pm. Protesters then left the office, knocking over a picket fence in the process and marching up to Prince Alfred College, Senator Bernardi’s old school and hanging some more banners.
Despite the deep schadenfreude some are feeling at such an action, many have condemned the rash move on behalf of protesters seeing it as stooping to Bernardi’s level of bullying or worse.
@sandylanceley @talexander_9 @corybernardi I agree it’s wrong but I still feel a guilty dose of Schadenfreude
— Tim Rutter (@tim_rutter) March 18, 2016
@talexander_9 @geoffrey_payne well that is just a stupid thing to do …and Im no fan of Cory’s politics
— Rob Mitchell (@RobMitchellMP) March 18, 2016
Lefty totalitarians have trashed my office and threatened my staff because their agenda has been exposed. What a bunch of cowards.
— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) March 18, 2016
Grateful my team are safe and appreciate the efforts of the Police.
— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) March 18, 2016
Unfortunate that I am not in Adelaide to assist my amazing team.
Gutless actions like this will never stop me speaking the truth.— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) March 18, 2016
