Aussie festival staff defend dragging 'intoxicated' man away from children
Families watched on as security guards at Canberra's Floriade festival dragged the patron by his arms and legs.
Organisers of Canberra's Floriade festival have defended the "heavy-handed" treatment of a patron after a video of the intoxicated man being dragged by three security guards raised concerns after it was shared online.
A passerby filmed the incident on Sunday at the annual flower festival and said it was "pretty intense" to watch. A fourth security guard approached the man filming and allegedly told him and his children to leave.
Floriade officials told Yahoo News Australia the actions were carried out to protect child safety.
"On Sunday security received reports of an intoxicated man approaching children and asking if they were with their parents," an Events ACT spokesperson said. "The man refused to comply with the request to leave and physically resisted leaving the site."
"Floriade is a family friendly event and we take the safety and security of patrons, especially children, very seriously."
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Patron dragged to on-site security compound
After the man allegedly refused to leave the premises despite being instructed to by festival staff, security guards decided to physically remove him from the communal area by grabbing hold of his arms and legs and taking him to the ground's security headquarters.
Festival officials said police attended the site and issued the man a 24-hour exclusion notice, with ACT Policing confirming this with Yahoo News.
A security guard involved in the incident responded to the video online and said the patron had been verbally abusing staff and "indecently propositioned under-age females" before interference.
He condemned the individual for posting the video without full understanding the situation, calling it an "ill-informed assumption."
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