Keep Newtown Weird and Safe!

After changes in the liquor laws in nearby parts of Sydney, night-time revellers flocked into the diverse, alternative community of Newtown. Official statistics showed no increase in street assaults, but many reported an upsurge in harassment and violence against the LGBTI community. The Keep Newtown Weird and Safe protest in April 2016, organised by the Reclaim the Streets Collective, set out to promote the welcoming culture of the suburb and encourage people to be more accepting of others. As the Facebook page of the event explained, it was ‘about reasserting Newtown’s identity as a beautiful community of queers, weirdoes, freaks, hippies, goths, punks, ferals, migrants and everyone else who doesn’t fit in elsewhere’.