Anger has grown over footage showing a police officer repeatedly punching a pro-Palestine protester on the ground, as NSW Premier Chris Minns defended his officers and former prime minister Tony Abbott said police should be praised.
Demonstrators were pepper‑sprayed, arrested, beaten and shoved by police as they gathered at Sydney Town Hall on Monday evening to protest Isaac Herzog’s arrival in the harbour city earlier that day.
Other footage shows one man being repeatedly punched in the torso before being cuffed and taken away.
Another video shared on social media shows a group of Muslim men leading a prayer before being ripped from their knees and taken away by police, while another shows a man being repeatedly punched in the stomach by officers.
In another widely shared clip, a man appears to shove a police officer on a bicycle before raising his hands, after which several officers allegedly punch him repeatedly as shocked bystanders watch on.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said he would not ‘throw police under the bus’ and argued that moving on the Muslim men praying was justified because other protesters had attempted to breach a police line.
‘I appreciate the scenes on television didn’t look good, but it would have been far, far worse,’ he said.
‘I support police in a very difficult set of circumstances, they were trying to keep the public safe, and the record shows they did everything possible to avoid these confrontations.’
Footage has emerged of a man pinned to the light rail tracks on George Street by police
Minns said police were forced to balance protest activity with a major religious gathering taking place at the same time, which he referred to as a ‘secret event’.
‘What we can reveal today that we couldn’t say yesterday for operational reasons, is that there were 7000 Jewish mourners in the same city at the same time that police had to keep separate from protesters,’ he said.
Minns repeated police proposals to hold the protest in Hyde Park and allow a march down College Street were rejected, leaving officers to manage what he described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on Monday night.
‘Now that is a dynamic and difficult situation for NSW Police, and in the circumstances, you can’t just look at an individual clip. You have to look at the last week of trying to de-escalate the situation that was rejected by the protester organisers.
‘NSW Police tried everything possible to avoid a confrontation last night,’ Minns said.
‘I think a fair minded person would look at their engagement with the Palestinian Action Group over the last seven days and see repeated pleas from NSW Police to hold this protest in Hyde Park and have a march down College Street immediately or persistently rejected by the protest organisers.’
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said police should be praised.
‘My blood has boiled for the last two years to see the way these intimidatory pro-terrorist protests have taken over our city streets, week after week, and I just think that we needed to see a bit of strength from the authorities,’ Abbott said.
A man was seen to be punched by police as officers attempted to disperse the crowd
Pro-Palestine protesters in Sydney were pepper-sprayed by police after clashes broke out when they refused to disperse
‘As for thoughts that the police who punched a protester who dragged one of their colleagues off a bike, I think those police should be given a quiet commendation, not face an investigation.
‘If this continues, I hope we’ll see an absolutely escalated police response. I think we need to see more police forces. I think we need to see tear gas and rubber bullets if need be – these people who are trying to intimidate the Australian community need to know that it is the forces of law and order who are in charge.’
Palestine Action Group spokesman Josh Lees said the authorities’ response amounted to ‘sickening police brutality’.
‘This sickening violence by police last night is exactly a result of the ramping up and up and up of police powers in this state of the crazy authoritarian announcements made by Chris Minns,’ he told ABC Radio.
‘Last night is exactly a result of the ramping up and up and up of police powers in this state of the crazy authoritarian announcements made by Chris Minns, and he clearly wanted us out of sight, out of mind, and that’s why we refused to go to Hyde Park.
‘I’ve been to many protests over the years, and this is the worst I’ve ever seen, where the police were absolutely off the chain.’
‘What we did was have a mass peaceful protest at Town Hall. At the end of our speakers, some people, I understand I was up at the speaker’s platform, did try to move towards parliament.’
‘They were kettled in by police. And then, as people were trying to leave after that, police charged horses into the crowd.’
Abigail Boyd (pictured) said she blamed Premier Chris Minns for her injury from the protest
A sign at the protest demanded that Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles be arrested
There were protests in more than a dozen major Australian cities over Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the country. He attended a ‘light and solidarity’ event at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on Monday night
Lees has organised another protest to be held outside Surry Hills Police Station at 5.30pm tonight, calling for demonstrators to rally against what he describes as ‘police brutality’.
The fresh rally comes after chaotic scenes unfolded late Monday night as police moved to disperse crowds and bring the Town Hall protest to a close.
As the demonstration drew to an end, parts of the crowd began moving away, with some trying to leave while others called on the hundreds of surrounding police to allow them to march.
Though people were allowed to leave via the south side of the block, police restricted movement around most of the square and would not let protesters march, forcing the large group into gridlock.
Protesters’ chants soon grew louder and the police presence swelled.
Officers issued a move-on order, but many within the immense, densely packed crowd of about 5,000 were unclear on directions, and the situation quickly devolved. Police on foot and on horseback formed a front and rushed at protesters as they attempted to disperse the group.
Media, including photographers and those with press passes displayed, were forcibly pushed away from the scene by officers. The streets were lined with medics kneeling over pepper-sprayed protesters, pouring water into their eyes as they sputtered and hacked up phlegm.
NSW Greens Upper House MP Abigail Boyd says she was injured during the clashes.
There were reports of people throwing up after they were pepper-sprayed
Thousands marched from Town Hall towards NSW Parliament in Sydney
Police were out in force with hundreds of officers on the streets and rooftops of Sydney’s CBD
Boyd later posted a photo of the injury on social media, directly blaming the NSW Premier, writing: ‘I blame Chris Minns.’
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for assaulting officers.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said the protesters’ behaviour was outrageous.
‘We saw officers being threatened, jostled and assaulted,’ he said.
The NSW police union defended its members’ response, saying their actions were proportionate.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was devastated by the protests.
‘These are really scenes that I think shouldn’t be taking place. People should be able to express their views peacefully, but the police were very clear about the routes that were required if people wanted to march to go a particular route to ensure that this was done peacefully’.
He defended the invitation extended to Israeli President Herzog.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was devastated by the protests. He also defended the invitation extended to Israeli President Herzog.
‘He was invited because he’s the head of state. He’s the equivalent of the governor-general, and when the Jewish community asked for their head of state to visit, I think it is appropriate that people be allowed to mourn and to do so respectfully,’ Albanese said during an interview with Triple M radio in Hobart.
‘Now people will have different views about the Middle East, and we have been critical, and have received some criticism of the Israeli government,’ he said.
‘But we do need to be able to have people express any views peacefully in an appropriate way, and this visit is an important opportunity for President Herzog to stand with Jewish Australians and remember those innocent lives lost on December 14.
‘Later this afternoon, I will be with President Herzog visiting families who have lost loved ones, and people surely should be able to respect that while maintaining whatever position it is that they have on the Middle East,’ he said.
‘I think that Australians want two things. They don’t want conflict brought here. They want killing to stop, whether it’s Israelis or Palestinians, but they do not want conflict brought here.’
‘These are scenes that I think shouldn’t be taking place.’
Prior to the chaos, the crowd stood peacefully and chanted in between speeches from people such as former Australian of the Year Grace Tame, Jewish academic Antony Loewenstein, and Amnesty International Australia spokesman Mohamed Duar.
President Herzog visited the scene of the terror attack on Monday and is set to attend more community events on Tuesday.
President Herzog said the demonstrations ‘undermine and delegitimise’ Israel’s existence.
Asked by if he had a message to protesters, he claimed the demonstrations ‘undermine and delegitimise’ Israel’s existence.
He previously said Palestinians bore collective blame for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, before later walking back the remarks.
A United Nations Human Rights Council commission of inquiry in September found the statement might reasonably have been interpreted as inciting genocide.
