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Senator booted from Mardi Gras after interrupting parade: 'GET RID OF HER!'

Federal senator Lidia Thorpe was moved on from the Sydney Mardi Gras parade by police after footage showed her lying on the street and temporarily halting the march.

In a video of the incident shared on social media, the independent senator can be seen lying on her back in front of the truck on Oxford Street during the Saturday night parade.

Two police officers then approach Senator Thorpe as the crowd begins to boo.

Senator Lidia Thorpe lies down in the middle of the road, bringing the Mardi Gras parade to a halt.
Senator Lidia Thorpe laid down in the middle of the road, bringing the Mardi Gras parade to a halt. Source: Twitter

"Get rid of her! Get rid of her," a person in the crowd can be heard chanting during the incident.

Senator Thorpe then got to her feet and could be seen talking with police and Mardi Gras crew.

"About 9pm last night a woman lay in front of a float on Oxford Street, momentarily preventing the progress of the parade," NSW Police told AAP on Sunday.

"She was later removed from the parade at the request of organisers for breaching the terms of her participation."

Lidia Thorpe smiles before the Mardi Gras parade, wearing a black dress, a black hat and wheeling a red suitcase
Thorpe, left, before obstructing the parade, and being confronted by police during the incident. Source: Twitter

A spokesman for Sydney Mardi Gras confirmed the parade had been interrupted by Senator Thorpe as she attempted to stage a protest.

"While we respect the individual's right to protest, interrupting the parade in this way has significant implications for the safety of our participants and audience," the spokesman said.

AAP has contacted the office of Senator Thorpe for comment.

Albo makes history as first PM to attend Mardi Gras

Sequined revellers cheered Anthony Albanese as the first sitting prime minister to march in the parade.

Mr Albanese led the Rainbow Labor float with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns.

This wasn't the prime minister's first rodeo. Mr Albanese also marched in 1983, five years after Mardi Gras' inception as a gay rights protest.

Anthony Albanese waves to the crowd as he marches in the parade
Anthony Albanese waves to the crowd as he marches in the parade. Source: Twitter

"It's unfortunate that I am the first (prime minister to march), but this is a celebration of modern Australia. We're a diverse, inclusive Australia and that's a good thing," he told the ABC as waved at the crowd.

"People want to see that their government is inclusive and represents everyone, no matter who they love, no matter what their identity, no matter where they live. We need to be a country that respects everyone for who they are."

Mr Albanese said partygoers needed to pay tribute to the 78ers, the Mardi Gras' first marchers, "who were thrown in jail for the simple fact of who they were because they happened to be gay of lesbian".

"We need to continue to argue for equality."

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