‘Limited evidence’ of protester violence at Sydney demonstration against Israeli president Isaac Herzog visit
Amid police brutality allegations, inquiry hears protesters against visit of Israeli president were ‘largely peaceful’ Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast An inquiry into a Sydney rally against the Israeli president’s visit has so far found protesters were “largely peaceful” and there is “limited evidence of physical violence on the part of the protesters”. The Law…
An inquiry into a Sydney rally against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit has concluded that protesters were largely peaceful, with limited evidence of physical violence. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) launched its investigation following widespread allegations of police brutality at the protest, which took place at Sydney's town hall on February.
Viral video footage showed police punching protesters and grabbing Muslim worshippers during sunset prayers. The inquiry has been examining various issues, including police use of OC spray, "police boasting about gratuitous force," pushing and shoving during crowd dispersal, and "kettling" protesters. Despite 30 people being charged with offenses following the protest, almost a dozen of those charges have been withdrawn.
Lecc is examining police conduct based on a law in place at the time, which restricted protesters' ability to march, and found this law to be unconstitutional two months after the protest. The inquiry has heard that a briefing was held with officers ahead of the protest, where senior officers spoke about prohibiting a march, although no recordings or notes were made.
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