Violence At Sydney Herzog Protests: Greenwich Calls For Review As Premier Defends Police Actions

NSW Premier Chris Minns has defended the actions of NSW Police at the Sydney protests against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Australian visit last night, saying they were “put in an impossible situation” by protesters.

27 people were arrested and dozens injured on Monday evening after a demonstration at Town Hall turned violent, with police deploying pepper spray against some of the estimated 20,000 protesters.

Footage emerging from the night appears to show police officers punching protesters, and forcefully dragging a group of Muslim men kneeling to pray.

Minns said police had done “everything possible” to avoid confrontation, but were left with no choice after protesters defied restrictions preventing them from marching to NSW parliament, put in place after the Bondi attack.

Protest organisers, Palestine Action Group, yesterday lost a case in the Supreme Court to overturn extra powers given the police for the duration of Herzog’s visit.

“The circumstances leading to the confrontation are incredibly important. And perhaps even more important than that is the fact that NSW Police and the government did everything possible to avoid a confrontation last night in the middle of Sydney,” he said on Sunrise this morning.

“Now what’s not shown on the videos because it didn’t happen, is what would have happened if protesters had breached police lines in the middle of Sydney, it would have been chaos, even worse than the scenes that were reported on the news.”

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said he was “very proud of the police officers” and stood by their actions in the face of “outrageous behaviour”.

“I absolutely think police actions were justified,” he said.

“I saw the restraint of police tonight. They took more than their time before they utilised any of their powers.

“It was really quite precarious at times for our officers, who were significantly outnumbered by the protesters and the people who wanted to act in a violent and offensive manner.”

Police were “absolutely off the chain”, says Palestine Action Group

Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees told media that “We could have marched [to parliament] and then dispersed”.

“Instead, police kettled people into that area outside Town Hall and then charged them repeatedly. This is the worst I’ver seen, where police were absolutely off the chain.

“They just kept charging, pepper-spraying everyone. People who had been pepper-sprayed, who were on the ground, were then trampled by police.”

Greens MP says she was “targeted and attacked” by police

Greens MP Abigail Boyd says she was “targeted and attacked” by police, a posted a photo of herself on social media in a neck brace.

“I feel quite naive, but I didn’t know that this was what police could do in our state,” she told ABC Radio on Tuesday morning. “I feel just absolutely shocked.”

 

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Independent member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, raised concerns that protesters were injured in his electorate and requested an urgent meeting with local area commands.

“I understand that policing protest activity can be difficult when tensions are high, however we need to find a way to facilitate people’s right to protest without harm,” he wrote in a letter to police minister Yasmin Catley.

“Like so many Sydneysiders, I’m deeply disturbed by the scenes from yesterday’s protest, Greenwich wrote on Instagram. “I have asked the Police Minister to conduct an urgent review of policing practices at protests, and urge people who wish to make a complaint to contact the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.”

 

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