“We want to know if flaming torches and pitchforks will form part of the festivities,” Pagan Awareness Network President David Garland said today. “Not a day after the Human Rights Commission released a report highlighting the serious discrimination faced by pagans and followers of alternative beliefs in Australia, we are given an example of how it happens.”

The festival committee has reportedly banned “products or services relating to the occult, black magic or devil worship.”

“It’s clear that this ban has been put in place by individuals who have a fundamentalist agenda,” Mr Garland said. “What is less clear is whether they have the right to enforce a rule that appears to discriminate on the basis of religious belief. Especially when public funding is involved. We welcome the interest of the Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria in investigating this matter.”

CONTACT:
David Garland
President – Pagan Awareness Network Incorporated
david.garland@paganawareness.net.au

Media Officer – Pagan Awareness Network Incorporated
media@paganawareness.net.au