State urged to scrap law after police scuffle
The NSW Premier has been urged to scrap controversial anti-protest laws after a former Greens candidate claimed she may lose vision in her eye following an alleged scuffle with police at a protest.
Hannah Thomas was pictured with a swollen right eye and streaks of blood down her face after a protest outside SEC Plating in Belmore in Sydney's southwest on Friday.
The company was picketed over reports it provided jet components used by the Israeli Defence Force, according to a NSW Greens statement.
Ms Thomas, who was charged by police over the incident, has claimed she may have suffered permanent vision damage following the protest. Hannah Thomas was arrested at an anti-Israel protest. Supplied. Credit: Supplied
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson has since appealed to NSW Premier Chris Minns to turf controversial protest laws and have charges against Ms Thomas dropped, arguing there was evidence police 'acted beyond the scope of their lawful powers'.
New laws introduced in February have given police fresh powers to prevent protesters from harassing, intimidating or threatening people accessing or leaving — or attempting to access or leave — places of worship.
This also extends to people intentionally blocking, impeding, or hindering people accessing or leaving places of worship, with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
The laws were brought in less than a month after news of an explosives-laden caravan being found in Dural broke, which later proved to be a fake terrorism plot rather than an anti-Semitic attack.
Ms Thomas has claimed her injuries were a result of the 'draconian anti-protest laws', which are currently subject to a constitutional challenge in the NSW Supreme Court launched on behalf of the Palestine Action Group (PAG).
However, NSW Police southwest metropolitan region commander Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden on Monday told 2GB the anti-protest legislation wasn't applicable to this situation, maintaining it was an unauthorised protest.
In her letter, Ms Higginson cited alleged contradictory police statements, photographic and video evidence, witness accounts, and NSW protest law.
'What occurred in Belmore was not policing — it was punishment,' Ms Higginson wrote in her letter.
'A member of our community was brutally assaulted by uniformed officers while engaging in peaceful political expression,' she alleged.
'This has happened in a state where you and your government have continuously expressed intolerance for protest and embodied police to suppress protest through arbitrary, dangerous laws and sweeping police powers.'
Ms Higginson has appealed to the Premier to intervene and have all charges against Ms Thomas, and others arrested on the day, dropped, and for police to declare it a critical incident.
However Mr McFadden told 2GB he couldn't identify any misconduct, that he backed the actions of police, and he was comfortable in not declaring a critical incident based on information provided to him. NSW Premier Chris Minns has been urged to scrap controversial anti-protest laws following Friday's protest. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Sue Higginson also urged the Premier to intervene to have charges against protesters from Friday, including Ms Thomas, dropped. NewsWire / Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia
Ms Higginson also pushed for a clear public directive to be issued to NSW Police to state protest is lawful and must be protected.
Ms Higginson then turned her attention to the state government, urging Mr Minns 'acknowledge your government's role in emboldening excessive and violent policing' via the expansion of protest laws.
Further, she called for the new anti-protest laws to be repealed.
'The trust between the community and the police has already been deeply damaged,' Ms Higginson wrote.
'Every day that passes without independent accountability and recognition of the harm that your Government's actions have caused will further fracture the legitimacy of your leadership.' Ms Thomas spotted following the protest. Supplied Credit: Supplied
Mr Minns told a press conference he wasn't prepared to 'condemn' the actions of police given Ms Thomas didn't provide a statement to police, making it difficult to determine what had happened.
Critical incidents are also typically declared based on health information, which is hard when that is not provided, he said.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) could step in at any time, Mr Minns said while also rejecting suggestions his own actions had emboldened police over the years.
Speaking of Friday's protest, he said everyone had a right to protest, but not to go after specific businesses.
He wished Ms Thomas well in her recovery.
'I don't want this to be lost in, I guess, the politics of the general caravan inquiry and changes to the law,' Mr Minns said.
'I genuinely hope that she's back on her feet as soon as possible, and she has a full recovery.'
Police issued Ms Thomas with a future court attendance notice on Sunday and charged her with hinder/resist police and refuse/fail to comply with direction to disperse.
She will appear in Bankstown Local Court on August 12.
Four others were also handed down various charges.
Mr McFadden is expected to brief the media at 2pm on Monday following the incident.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Israeli bombardment in Gaza kills 58 people in one day
A beachfront cafe and four schools were among the targets struck as Israel intensified its latest campaign against Hamas in Gaza, killing at least 58 people on Monday alone. The strikes came as Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid joined a growing chorus inside and outside of Israel calling for the war to end. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war and for the return of the remaining hostages. A confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to visit the White House on Monday for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation orders on Monday to residents in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing a new wave of displacement. Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north. Aircraft also bombed at least four schools after the Israeli military warned hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. Salah, 60, a father of five children in Gaza City, told Reuters he felt the bombardment "never stopped". "They bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes." It is the latest offensive of the 20-month war, which started when Hamas militants entered Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking a further 251 hostage. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Fighting in the enclave has displaced almost 2.3 million people and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said that of the 58 people killed, 10 of them were in the town of Zeitoun and at least 13 killed south-west of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an air strike. Twenty people, including women, children and a local journalist were killed in an Israeli air strike on a beachfront cafe in Gaza City, medics said. The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said more than 220 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. The Israeli military said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centres, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians. There was no immediate word from Israel on the reported casualties south-west of the Gaza Strip and the beachfront cafe. It also followed intense bombardment on Sunday, in which 27 people were killed. Israel has warned residents in vast areas of Gaza's north to evacuate in recent days, as it steps up military operations in the territory following the ceasefire with Iran last week. The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in Gaza, saying that instructions had been issued to forces following "lessons learned". Since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited United Nations aid deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. A military spokesperson said incidents in which Gazans were harmed were under review. In a post on X, the IDF said it was making changes which "aim to ensure safe civilian passage, orderly aid distribution, and the continuity of IDF operations". "The IDF is conducting ongoing assessments to improve operational response, minimise friction with the population, and ensure aid reaches its intended recipients and not Hamas," it said. It follows Israel's military decision last week to launch a probe into deaths near aid sites, which have occured with increased frequency and lethality since the US-backed organisation Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took over the distribution of aid in Gaza. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that GHF's operation in Gaza is "inherently unsafe," and was "killing people". Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Mr Netanyahu's, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said. The meeting in Washington DC came a day after the US president called for Israel and Hamas to "make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back". In Israel, the prime minister's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza. High-profile members of the Israeli government have appeared more willing to contemplate a potential ceasefire in Gaza in recent days. On Friday, Israel's military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals. On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. Qatar and Egypt, who are both mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel, also appeared willing to capitalise on the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. On Monday, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid became the latest public figure to advocate for an end to the war, which has been raging for 20 months. He joins Mr Trump as well as Israeli ex-prime minister Naftali Bennett in pressing Mr Netanyahu to find an off-ramp in the fight with Hamas. "There is no longer any benefit for the State of Israel from continuing the war in Gaza. Only damage on the security, political and economic level," Mr Lapid told a meeting of lawmakers from his parliamentary group. Mr Lapid said Arab countries such as Egypt should be engaged to find a way to loosen Hamas's grip of the Palestinian enclave. "Hamas will not be eliminated as long as an alternative government is not brought into Gaza," he said. A public opinion poll published the day after Tuesday's ceasefire with Iran by public broadcaster Kan showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents wanted the Gaza war to end. Reuters
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Israel-Gaza war will only end with ‘complete dismantlement' of Hamas
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin discusses United States President Donald Trump's belief that an Israel-Gaza ceasefire could happen within the next week. 'We hope this war does end, but I think it will take the complete dismantlement of Hamas to a point where they see no way out,' Mr Rvychin told Sky News host James Macpherson. 'Either accept surrender or exile for their leadership, I think that's the only way we get to a conclusion here.'
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
BBC regrets not stopping Glastonbury live stream
The BBC says it regrets not pulling the live stream of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, and the group's comments were "anti-Semitic" and "utterly unacceptable". "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance," the BBC said in a statement. "We regret this did not happen." Rapper Bobby Vylan on Saturday UK time led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)". Following the performance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the chants as "appalling hate speech" and broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is "very concerned" about the live stream. The BBC, which issued a warning on screen during the live stream, called Bobby Vylan's comments "deeply offensive". "The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence," its statement said, adding that it would look at its guidance around live events. Ofcom said in its statement that the BBC "clearly has questions to answer", adding: "We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines." The UK rap punk duo has released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place," he said in a statement posted to Instagram. "As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us." The BBC says it regrets not pulling the live stream of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, and the group's comments were "anti-Semitic" and "utterly unacceptable". "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance," the BBC said in a statement. "We regret this did not happen." Rapper Bobby Vylan on Saturday UK time led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)". Following the performance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the chants as "appalling hate speech" and broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is "very concerned" about the live stream. The BBC, which issued a warning on screen during the live stream, called Bobby Vylan's comments "deeply offensive". "The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence," its statement said, adding that it would look at its guidance around live events. Ofcom said in its statement that the BBC "clearly has questions to answer", adding: "We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines." The UK rap punk duo has released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place," he said in a statement posted to Instagram. "As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us." The BBC says it regrets not pulling the live stream of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, and the group's comments were "anti-Semitic" and "utterly unacceptable". "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance," the BBC said in a statement. "We regret this did not happen." Rapper Bobby Vylan on Saturday UK time led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)". Following the performance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the chants as "appalling hate speech" and broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is "very concerned" about the live stream. The BBC, which issued a warning on screen during the live stream, called Bobby Vylan's comments "deeply offensive". "The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence," its statement said, adding that it would look at its guidance around live events. Ofcom said in its statement that the BBC "clearly has questions to answer", adding: "We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines." The UK rap punk duo has released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place," he said in a statement posted to Instagram. "As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us." The BBC says it regrets not pulling the live stream of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, and the group's comments were "anti-Semitic" and "utterly unacceptable". "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance," the BBC said in a statement. "We regret this did not happen." Rapper Bobby Vylan on Saturday UK time led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)". Following the performance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the chants as "appalling hate speech" and broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is "very concerned" about the live stream. The BBC, which issued a warning on screen during the live stream, called Bobby Vylan's comments "deeply offensive". "The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence," its statement said, adding that it would look at its guidance around live events. Ofcom said in its statement that the BBC "clearly has questions to answer", adding: "We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines." The UK rap punk duo has released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place," he said in a statement posted to Instagram. "As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us."
