An 18-year-old man will appear in court after allegedly shining a torch in the face of an officer at the Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills, where demonstrators gathered on Tuesday night to rail against the police response to Monday’s CBD protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Duke Austin, 18, was arrested while attending the protest at Harmony Park, next to the police centre, after he was alleged to have continuously shined a torch in the face on an officer monitoring the demonstration.
Austin was taken to Surry Hills police station and charged with three counts of assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty without causing actual bodily harm, and possessing a knife in a public place. He remained in custody, ahead of his bail hearing on Wednesday.
Footage captured by Nine News shows a protester shining a torch in the eyes of an officer stationed outside the police centre. The officer speaks to the demonstrator and gestures for him to stop. He is then taken by nearby police officers and marched from the gathering.
Hundreds of protesters had gathered at Surry Hills to demonstrate against Herzog’s visit to Australia and alleged police brutality. Some demonstrators held banners reading “globalise the intifada”, a phrase the NSW government seeks to ban with the passing of new hate speech laws.
Tensions escalated towards the end of the protest, as demonstrators chanted anti-police slogans while officers formed a line to safeguard the building. Rally organisers worked to distance protesters from police, and urged the crowd to disperse after calling for a peaceful end to the demonstration.
A police helicopter circled the park as the crowd thinned at about 8pm. The demonstration concluded without major incident.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna rebuked the “antagonistic behaviour and provocation” displayed by some protesters, commending the “composure” shown by officers on the front line.
“Police continued to perform their duties responsibly and respectfully, even when confronted with challenging behaviour and, in some instances, deeply disturbing conduct from individuals within the assembly,” he said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also praised the conduct of officers on Tuesday, as they responded to demonstrators who “really wanted to agitate the police, call the police out and obviously remonstrate”. He described anti-police chants heard at the rally as unacceptable.
“This is a time for calm, and I find it incredibly offensive that people would go there deliberately trying to incite police,” Lanyon told 2GB on Wednesday morning.
“People don’t always support what the police do, but we have a role to protect the community. We prevent crime, we protect the community. We take that job seriously.”
Lanyon has committed to reviewing the actions of officers at the Town Hall rally on Monday night, pledging that each officer would be held “responsible for their own actions”.
He reiterated the difficulty police faced at Town Hall, as they desperately sought to separate the protesters from the audience gathered for Herzog’s address at the nearby International Convention Centre (ICC).
Visitors were asked to stay at the ICC for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the event. Lanyon said it “could have been” unsafe for the mourners to leave while the “volatile” protest continued and police balanced “competing interests”.
Lanyon has called for calm, as Herzog continues his visit of Australia. The Israeli president will be Canberra on Wednesday, where a significant police presence has been prepared ahead of anticipated protests.
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