Opponents of same-sex marriage in Australia scrawled "vote no" in the sky as millions of people took to the polls in an equal rights referendum.
The note appeared on Sunday as Australians were urged to take part in a voluntary postal vote on the question: "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?"
Journalist Shane Bazzi was walking with his boyfriend in the Sydney suburb of La Perouse when he noticed the skywriting.
He told CNN: "We can't escape it. Our lives now being debated in the sky. We can't even look at the sky without being told we don't deserve equal rights.”
Campaigners on both sides of the debate took to Twitter to comment on the message in the sky.
One person described the vote as “a life and death decision”:
Others said the scrawl was “evil”:
One Twitter user pointed out the temporary nature of the sign, which was soon blown away by the wind.
Same-sex marriage advocates had tried to stop the vote over fears it would give opponents a platform to promote intolerant and hurtful messages to a national audience. However, a court ruled it could go ahead.
Last week, the Australian government passed temporary new laws banning hate speech for the vote’s duration, threatening a £7,500 ($12,600 Australian dollars) fine for people who vilify, intimidate or threaten harm "on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or religion."
Unlike in Australian federal elections, voting on the decision is not compulsory and the result is non-binding, meaning the government is not legally obligated to agree to it. Parliamentary must pass legislation to action the result.
Australia is expected to vote in favour of same-sex marriage, with a recent poll saying 63 per cent of Australians wanted it to be legalised, 30 per cent were opposed and the rest were undecided.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he would be voting yes last month.
The results will be announced on November 15.
