A city centre military parade featuring marching soldiers, tanks and a priest has gone viral online, with some comparing the show of strength to North Korea and others calling it ‘terrifying’.
Soldiers from the 1st Armoured Regiment, accompanied by two Abrams battle tanks, marched from the Torrens Parade Ground to St Peters Cathedral in Adelaide on Saturday.
The ceremony marked the transfer of command and the relocation of the regiment’s sacred flag from Lone Pine Chapel at Robertson Barracks in Darwin.
The 1st Armoured Regiment transferred last year from the 1st Brigade in the Northern Territory to the 9th Brigade in South Australia.
A 7News report on the parade has been viewed more than 1.3million times already, but some commentators took great offence at the display.
Soldiers from the 1st Armoured Regiment, accompanied by two Abrams battle tanks (pictured), marched from the Torrens Parade Ground to St Peters Cathedral in Adelaide
A city centre military parade (pictured) featuring marching soldiers, tanks and a priest has gone viral online, with some comparing the show of strength to North Korea
‘Lovely bit of casually-encountered weekend trauma for anyone who’s ever been brutalised by authority. Nice,’ author Maxine Beneba Clarke wrote on Twitter.
Researcher and journalist Claire Connelly was so astonished at the military parade, she asked ‘Am I the only person who finds this terrifying?’
The Army chaplains who marched alongside the soldiers were slammed in some quarters for doing so.
‘Beyond disgusting,’ wrote minister and writer Rev Dr Stephanie Dorwick.
‘And that priest person marching alongside the tanks?!! Doesn’t he know Jesus came to teach inclusion and peace? Military displays have no place in Australia.’
There was also a backlash to the backlash, with one commenter writing ‘I guarantee you’ll be speaking differently when there’s a Chinese soldier knocking on your door.
‘You only have the privilege to say those comments because people sacrificed their lives for your freedom.’
Some commenters (such as the one pictured) took great offence at the military display
Others (including the tweet pictured) compared the march to casually encountering trauma
One cleric (pictured) was offended by the presence of other clerics in the Adelaide parade
Another wrote ‘I personally find it comforting and hoping they haven’t stripped the Lads of all their masculinity cause God help us if war ever comes back to our shores.’
A third said they preferred ‘the time of the Crusades. Back then, you couldn’t make fun of Christians and get away with it.
‘Now it’s the only religion you can insult in a comedy skit, and vilify at every turn. So any priest with A1M1 Abrams tanks has my (support).’
The 1st Armoured Regiment transferred last year from the 1st Brigade in the Northern Territory to the 9th Brigade in South Australia
As well as tanks and soldiers, there was also a marching band (pictured) in the parade
But the naysayers did not let up, with one saying ‘A priest leads troops and tanks down an Australian street.
‘This is horrifying. How dare you promote such nationalism and aggressive behaviour. Shameful.’
Another wrote: ‘A ceremony to relocate a regiment’s “sacred flags” to Adelaide, with a robed religious figure leading an army parade, complete with tanks rolling down main street.
‘Are we in some kind of creeping military theocracy stage of our history? This is just bizarre.’
The ceremony marked the transfer of command and the relocation of the regiment’s sacred flag (pictured) from Lone Pine Chapel at Robertson Barracks in Darwin.
The religious aspect to the military parade in Adelaide (pictured) has been criticised by many
The parade’s defenders did not let up either, though, insisting the parade should be celebrated, not mocked.
‘Needs to be more of this, martial pride makes a nation great in the eyes of its citizens and the world,’ one wrote.
Another praised the city where the march was held and wished similar events could be held on the east coast.
‘Well done to Adelaide here … we need this in the Sydney CBD … a tank squadron will get a sense of urgency into the very slow light rail that runs down George Street,’ said one.
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