Six fire trucks summoned to anti-marriage equality MP’s office over glitter envelope
By Nick Bond
Six fire trucks, six police cars and a hazmat unit have been called to the office of Australian Liberal MP Craig Laundy after he was sent an envelope filled with glitter by same-sex marriage campaigners.
The emergency response was triggered after staff at the Member for Reid’s Sydney office mistook the package for a suspicious substance, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Australian political activist group GetUp! is behind the stunt, and have reportedly been sending glitter-filled envelopes to members of the Liberal Party as a form of ‘glitter protest’ since the Liberals voted against allowing a conscience vote on marriage equality in the country last week.
The alarm was raised by one of Laundy’s staffers, who mistook the glitter for a hazardous substance and called the emergency services.
In an angry post to his public Facebook page, Laundy shared pictures of the unfolding situation and had this to say:
“6 police cars, 6 fire trucks and 1 Hazmat unit…
The emergency response today when my staff found a suspicious package in our PO Box was tremendous.
It has since been discovered that it was a stupid stunt by GetUp. I’m all for organisations making contact with me, but to send any undeclared substance through the mail to the office of a Member of Parliament will inevitably cause alarm and divert important police and emergency services from their critical work.
Thank you to Burwood LAC – NSW Police Force for their outstanding effort in undertaking a professional response to a grossly irresponsible act.”
Think Laundy’s office was overreacting? Uh, have you ever come into contact with glitter? That stuff stays on you for years. Come near us with a glitter-filled envelope and we’re calling the SWAT team.
Unless you’re Mariah Carey. Then it’s OK.
