This year’s instalment of the Stereosonic EDM festival came to a close over the weekend, but despite arrests in the hundreds and one man who was found not breathing after an overdose, conversations were centred on one disturbing video that emerged from the event’s Sydney leg.
The clip, which depicted a fight involving up to 20 Stereo punters who began punching and scrapping with each other seemingly indiscriminately, even leaving one man unconscious on the ground, quickly went viral and was condemned by many on social media and by local police.
Now, Frank Cotela, co-founder of the popular EDM festival and the director of events promoter Totem OneLove, has issued his own statement condemning the actions of the punters depicted in the footage and criticising what he refers to as the festival’s “roid up bro’s muscle culture”.
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Writing in response to a scathing Facebook post by Maroochydore resident Joel Bevilacqua, which subsequently went viral, Cotela opens his rant by asking, “Why don’t they get it?”, adding, “Everyone is over the roid up bro’s muscle culture, can’t they just see that they are a laughing stock.”
“Brother EVERYONE is laughing at your shorts, singlets, fake tans, bumbags and cartoon shaped bodies,” Cotela continues, “but more importantly we are sick of the charged up violence you bring… time for a change!”
“If it means that we will profile you at entry point and stop you entering – you will be stopped! 40 dumb khunts are not going to spoil a great day enjoyed by thousands! #brothernoonegivesafuckaboutyourbody”
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Bevilacqua’s post, which at the time of publication has amassed 47,852 likes on Facebook and been shared 1,817 times, is an address to the men involved in the Sydney Stereosonic fight written in the second person, calling on them to rethink their outlook and behaviour.
“We hate you,” wrote Bevilacqua. “And when we say we hate you, we mean it. We’re not joking. And it’s not like when someone says they hate One Direction or Ariana Grande when in reality they’d actually love to be them, nobody wants to be you.”
“We sincerely, passionately, incomprehensibly, hate you. I hope, I really really hope that one of you ‘people’ in the fight sees this, and for the first time in your life you have a good long hard think, and go: ‘Yeh, na, I’m a bit of a fuck head aren’t I?’ But the sad thing is that in reality that will never happen.”
