Security cameras are spotted hanging off the stage at a Sydney music festival – as furious revellers accuse police of using them to catch people with drugs
- CCTV cameras were spotted filming the crowd at a Sydney festival on Saturday
- Revellers at the Electric Gardens Festival claimed they were being monitored
- NSW Police said the cameras were organised in order to maintain crowd safety
Outraged revellers at a Sydney music festival have questioned why covert cameras were installed on the main stage overlooking the crowd.
The cameras were spotted at the Electric Gardens Festival held in Sydney’s Centennial Park on Saturday.
A warning post by the Greens initiative ‘Sniff Off’ said: ‘We’ve been made aware that there are CCTV cameras attached to the main stage at Electric Gardens today.
‘This has been accompanied by multiple reports of people being pulled out randomly from the crowd and taken away to be questioned and searched.’
CCTV cameras were spotted filming the crowd at Electric Gardens Festival on Saturday
Sniff Off shared images appearing to show two CCTV cameras attached to the framework on either side of the stage.
These cameras were seemingly pointed towards the Electric Gardens crowd.
‘Our police state has reached frightening levels,’ the post on Sniff Off continued.
A NSW Police spokesperson said that the security cameras were arranged by the event organisers for crowd safety.
But some music-lovers claimed the response wasn’t good enough, with hundreds voicing their thoughts on the ‘invasion of privacy’.
The cameras were said to be arranged by the event organisers in order to monitor crowd safety
One man said: ‘Not going to any live music events in NSW again. Don’t even want to leave my house anymore.’
Another said: ‘I saw a few people getting taken out from the crowd. It won’t end anytime soon as they catch a few people and think that their approach is worthy and successful.’
‘I leave today and couldn’t be happier. This state is like one giant big brother show. Everyone’s watching,’ wrote a third.
Not everyone was against the cameras, with some people defending their use.
One person said: ‘It’s a licensed venue of course they should have cameras.’
Another pointed out that the cameras could be used for avoiding medical emergencies and said: ‘If CCTV is being used to identify people early then no one should take issue.’
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the Electric Gardens event organisers for comment.
The Facebook page Sniff Off opened up discussion about the current ‘police state’ of NSW