Almost 30 people have been arrested on the way to a DJ set by Boy George at Sydney’s Ivy nightclub over the weekend for possessing ecstasy or cocaine, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The iconic Culture Club frontman performed as part of a festival taking place at the club in the CBD last Saturday, 29th June. Police have confirmed the areas surrounding the club were specifically targeted in the afternoon, saying officers and drug detection dogs “conducted an operation in and around a licensed premises on George Street, Sydney.”
Police arrested and charged 28 people in total between 1:30pm and 7:30pm on Saturday night. A majority of those arrested were between 40 and 50 years old, with one woman aged 60 arrested after spotting a drug detection dog in nearby Angel Place in the afternoon and attempting to dispose of a “large” MDMA tablet.
Earlier in the afternoon, police had picked up a 55-year old man carrying eight capsules of what police believe contained a small amount of ecstasy in each one.
Sydney’s DJ Sveta posted a photo to Instagram on Monday with NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann fellow DJ Kate Monroe, criticising the police presence around the event.
“This is the expression from three women who only just managed to get past the 100 cops targeting Boy George’s daytime gig at The Ivy,” she said.
“Shame on you NSW police for the harassment that I witnessed upon entering. The officers were itching for a fight. It is NOT OK to strip search & do cavity checks of a person if a dog does NOT go near them. It is NOT OK to destroy our culture & town.”
Those charged were issued with court attendance notices to appear at the Downing Centre later this month.
