Lawyer claims Hannah Thomas ‘punched in face' by cop at anti-Israel protest
Lawyers have claimed a police officer used excessive force with 'brutal and life-changing consequences' when former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas was allegedly 'punched in the face' during a scuffle at an anti-Israel protest.
Ms Thomas was involved in a protest picketing SEC Plating in Belmore in Sydney's southwest on June 27, following reports the company provided jet components used by the Israel Defence Forces.
Police issued a move-on order to about 60 people, but a scuffle broke out when some failed to comply with directions, a NSW Police spokesperson previously said.
Ms Thomas was pictured with a swollen eye and blood caked on her face following the protest, with the former Greens candidate claiming she may have suffered permanent vision damage as a result.
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas was charged over an anti-Israel protest in June. Picture: Supplied.
She was spotted with a swollen eye and blood dripping down her face following the protest. Picture: Supplied.
Ms Thomas was charged with hinder/resist police and refuse to comply with direction to disperse, with an additional charge related to a rarely-used emergency anti-riot power since dropped.
Her lawyer, Peter O'Brien from O'Brien Solicitors, has since called for all charges against Ms Thomas to be dropped, claiming he is 'satisfied' his client was 'punched in the face'.
'My office has now viewed all available footage of the incident giving rise to the moments leading to the injury to Ms Thomas' eye on the 27th of June, and I am satisfied that Ms Thomas was punched in the face by a male police officer, causing extensive and serious injury to her eye,' Mr O'Brien said in a statement.
Mr O'Brien claimed Ms Thomas was an 'innocent victim of gratuitous police brutality', condemning the actions of police as 'completely and entirely unjustifiable'.
He said he's called on the NSW Police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to withdraw all the charges, and confirmed Ms Thomas would file a civil claim for compensation against the state over her 'apprehension, injury, detention, and prosecution'.
'It is our position that the charges against Ms Thomas are wholly unsustainable and should be immediately withdrawn,' Mr O'Brien said.
Ms Thomas challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the federal seat of Grayndler at the federal election earlier this year. Picture: Tim Hunter.
He argued the charge of resisting police could not hold up, citing claims police were acting outside their powers by enforcing an unlawful direction and using excessive force 'with brutal and life-changing consequences'.
Further, failing to comply with a direction would 'most certainly fail', he claimed.
'The charge of failing to comply with a direction will most certainly fail as the direction was plainly and on its face unlawful, and reflected the directing police officer's complete misunderstanding of the law,' Mr O'Brien said.
He noted it was 'not ordinary' for lawyers to comment on cases against their clients, but that there were 'such stark and serious concerns' raised by evidence which required an immediate public response.
'This is especially so where comments have been made by senior police officials and politicians downplaying the gravity of the incident, apparently justifying police actions and comments that have been detrimental to my client's position,' Mr O'Brien said.
Peter O'Brien from O'Brien solicitors has called for all charges against Ms Thomas to be dropped. Picture: Supplied
Ms Thomas earlier claimed her injuries were a result of the 'draconian anti-protest laws' currently subject to a constitutional challenge in the NSW Supreme Court launched on behalf of the Palestine Action Group.
The laws in question gave police fresh powers to prevent protesters from harassing, intimidating or threatening people accessing or leaving — or attempting to access or leave — 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.
Mr O'Brien claimed it was 'noteworthy' the incident at the June protest happened amid an attempt by the state government to broaden police powers regarding public assemblies, which he called 'arguably contrary to constitutional principles'.
'It cannot be known what goes through the mind of a police officer who uses gratuitous violence like this, but the context and timing appear unavoidably revealing,' Mr O'Brien said.
Ms Thomas is set to face Bankstown Local Court on August 12.
Four others were handed various charges following the protest in June.
NSW Police were unable to comment on calls for the charges to be dropped, or Mr O'Brien's claims, as a critical incident investigation remains ongoing.
The ODPP declined to comment on the matter as it's before the court.
Originally published as Lawyer claims Hannah Thomas was 'punched in the face' by cop at anti-Israel protest
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