The New South Wales Premier Chris Minnes has defended police actions at a rally against Isaac Herzog’s visit, after video footage emerged of officers repeatedly punching several protesters.
The prime minister on Tuesday rejected suggestions his own anti-protest restrictions had created what he called an “impossible situation” for police dealing with thousands of protesters outside Sydney Town Hall.
Rally organisers, Labor backbenchers and Green MPs accused Minns and police of creating an “unsafe situation” for attendees.
NSW Police He threw pepper on the protestors The Israeli president’s four-day visit to Australia was opposed. They arrested 27 people and attacked 10 officers, but none of the attacks were serious. Police on Tuesday morning confirmed some charges had been laid, but did not specify the alleged crimes.
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Minnes has defended the police response as well as the controversial protest bans that his government member has created a “pressure cooker” situation.
He told reporters last night that police had been “put in an impossible situation” as protesters defied a protest restriction by not marching to NSW Parliament. The effective ban was introduced after the December 14 Bondi terror attack at the Hanukkah festival, which killed 15 people.
The protest continued on Monday evening despite the NSW opposing the Supreme Court verdict An additional “major event” was the Palestine Action Group, which sought to repeal the powers Herzog was handed over to the police for the duration of the visit.
“I would throw out any reasonable person’s explanation of the conditions on the streets of Sydney last night as an impossible situation,” Minns said on Tuesday.
“We have to keep people safe and as distressing as those scenes are, it would have been much worse if you had chosen your own adventure, [if] Protesters breached police lines and we clashed in the streets of Sydney. That would have been terrible.”
NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson said she would refer police actions to the Independent Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, saying police had “full authority and discretion” to proceed peacefully.
“They can’t hide behind it [public assembly restriction] Advertisement In fact, it is much more [a] Design, layer upon layer, that is Chris remembers This whole situation that happened last night was purposely served to create,” Higginson said Tuesday. “It was inevitable.”
Abigail Boyd, a fellow upper house Greens member who confronted NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon in the corridors of Parliament after she accused police of assaulting her during the protest, told reporters: “We made sure we didn’t go anywhere and then got pushed. [protesters] into unsafe conditions.”
“I got up off the ground. Another police officer [allegedly] Hit me on the head, and then I had another one [allegedly] Hit him on the shoulder. I don’t see how this is a proportionate response.
Josh Lees, an organizer with the Palestine Action Group, said Monday night’s events were the worst after attending several pro-Palestinian events in recent years.
“We’ve said Sydney’s streets should belong to Sydney residents before,” Lees told reporters. “There is no justification for the actions of the police at night.”
The Palestine Action Group plans to hold another event on Tuesday evening at the NSW Police Station in Surry Hills to demand that all charges against the protesters be dropped.
Lanyon, speaking with Minns on Tuesday, said protesters could expect a “significant police presence”.
“There is no difference in the police approach. It does not matter where the protestors go, whether they act legally or peacefully.”
Lanyon and Minns said police would investigate incidents of violence internally from the protest shared on social media. Lanyon urged people to “not watch a 10-second clip without the full context.”
The police commissioner claimed that rally speakers had “incited the crowd” and police initially showed “remarkable restraint during the first part of the speeches” – until protesters tried to march to Parliament on George Street.
“The police did what they were supposed to do, which was to hold the line and then drop in and move the protesters back with the intention of dispersing them. It was designed to keep the community safe.”
An incident was seen captured on footage from the scene Show several men kneeling to pray Some are dragged away by the police Ndu When asked about the video Tuesday, Minns rejected the idea that it shows police disproportionately targeting the Muslim community.
“Context matters, and the context here is in the middle of riotous behavior,” the premier told the ABC. “Now I am not suggesting that those engaged in prayer are conducting that behavior, but the police are facing a difficult situation when they ask people to clear the area.”
Lanyon said he spoke with leaders of the Muslim community on Tuesday.
A video A man is shown being beaten repeatedly by the police In a white shirt. Another video shows officers hitting a young man repeatedly in the head.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he was “devastated” by the scenes, but said they “undermined” the protesters’ cause and said the Israeli president’s visit was appropriate.
“People should be able to express their views peacefully, but if people want to march in a certain way and the police have been very clear about the means to ensure that this happens peacefully,” he told Triple M Hobart.
Federal Social Services Minister and Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek said videos of the protest shared on social media were “deeply disturbing”.
“I hope they will be investigated,” she told the ABC. Plibersek said protesters “absolutely” had the right to protest but should follow police advice not to march on NSW Parliament.
Labor NSW Upper House member Stephen Lawrence, one of four backbench government MPs who attended the rally, said the state should be given the opportunity for peaceful protest. He estimated that around 20,000-30,000 people attended. Police had not yet made an assessment Tuesday morning.
Lawrence was among those who questioned the connection between the Bondi attack and the pro-Palestinian protests. Extension of public meeting restriction notice This month and the “major event” powers failed in the Supreme Court.
“We have removed the ability to authorize those kinds of processions and protests,” he said.
“It’s a very, very inevitable consequence. I don’t like to be right about something like this, but it’s been said repeatedly in Parliament and in various places, that we’re basically creating a pressure cooker, and we saw that last night.”
Do you have video from the Sydney protest? Email guardian.australia.video@guardian.co.uk
