Protestors came out in force last week to protest Sydney’s lockout laws, which restrict bars from selling shots of alcohol after 10 p.m., ban new customers after 1:30 a.m.; and prohibit all alcohol sales after 3 a.m.
An estimated 1,000 protestors took to the streets to oppose the laws, which bar owners and patrons say have killed off nightlife in the Australian city. They also scoffed at an exemption made for the Star and Crown casinos.
A group calling itself Reclaim the Streets said the casinos “have brought their way into a free pass, while at the same time funneling all of the late night trade into their highly lucrative gambling halls.
“We are marching to the casino to highlight the gross hypocrisy of the government and the craven interests of the Star and Crown Casino,” according to a statement from the group.
Their argument may have lost some of its righteous power when the protestors dumped human feces in front of the Star Casino. They dubbed it the “Mike Baird Memorial Turd,” in honor of Premier Mike Baird, who supports the New South Wales government laws.
The laws were created in response to several incidents in which drunken revelers sucker-punched strangers, killing two young people in the process. The attacks were unprovoked, according to BBC News.
Baird has said the laws are reducing assaults, and also pointed out that a number of small bars have opened since 2014, when the laws were first introduced.
Last month, about 8,000 people gathered to protest the laws, reported ABC News Australia.
In a statement, a Star City spokesman said, “We respect the right of people to have their voices heard through peaceful gatherings.”
The NSW government is due to review the lockout laws in August.
