Premier Chris Minns tried to maintain law and order, but his laws have failed him
NSW Police was heavily criticized for not deploying sufficient officers to monitor the Jewish community at Bondi Beach, and governments responded with tougher laws and investigations to ensure public safety and unity.
Police clearly took no risks on Monday night and flooded the area to contain protests against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit.
But the reaction to the violent crackdown shows that the Minns government’s laws, which promised to protect society from racial hatred, offensive symbols, desecration and harassment of places of worship, have failed in initial implementation.
Rather than fostering a sense of unity, social cohesion has taken a backseat to concerns about police brutality.
A crew on George Street on Monday night reporter Journalists and photographers covered the demonstration and the police response, capturing video and footage as the situation deteriorated and protesters made repeated attempts to break through police lines.
Police officers were seen punching protesters and spraying them with red pepper. Footage taken from the scene shows some kneeling and praying before being dragged away by police.
Commenting on footage showing two officers repeatedly punching a man pinned beneath them, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said police would allege the protester bit one of the officers.
Lanyon told 2GB that the actions taken “were in response to a violent and aggressive mob marching towards the police” but backed away from the unqualified support, saying all police officers “will be held accountable for their actions”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Minns said police would internally investigate violence at the protest shared on social media, including analysis of body-worn camera footage. The Prime Minister urged the public not to rush to judgment by looking at “a 10-second clip without full context”.
Of course, camera angles can tell different stories.
But the widespread circulation of videos, photographs and reports showing police officers physically restraining protesters outside Sydney City Hall was eerily similar to the images we have come to expect from the US, where bystanders and security cameras have captured horrific incidents of police brutality.
Scenes like this are not often seen on the streets of Sydney.
In 1978, police violently broke up a street march that would later become the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The peaceful movement resulted in violence and the arrest of 53 of more than 500 activists.
The difference between now and then was that after 1978 public outrage caused the police to lose some of their powers in relation to street protests; The Minns government’s laws, however, appear to have helped make conflict inevitable rather than promoting law, order and tranquility.
Authorities are waiting to comment further until the arrested protesters have worked their way through the NSW court system.
But it was Minns who recalled parliament shortly after the December 14 shootings to tighten laws on protests. Not only did they fail to keep the peace, they also unnecessarily put NSW Police in the line of fire.
Now Minns must be fully transparent in explaining how he plans to address the understated, unintended consequences of his legislation.
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