Having reviewed police body-worn camera evidence of a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney, Hannah Thomas’s lawyer Peter O’Brien says it’s clear that police punched Ms Thomas in the face, causing grievous bodily harm.
There are now calls for all charges against Ms Thomas to be withdrawn, other charges against protesters from that day to be withdrawn, and for charges to be laid against police.
There are also calls for Premier Chris Minns to act.
Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said, ‘Now the evidence is clearer, I am calling for the actual offenders, the police, to be charged and those members of the community who were lawfully protesting for peace, who were assaulted, harmed and wrongly arrested, detained and charged by police to be released from further persecution.
‘Justice has run away, in the wrong direction for weeks now, and it’s got to be stopped,’ she said.
Police misconduct territory
‘We’re in malicious prosecution, police violence and serious police misconduct territory and Premier Chris Minns needs to step up, before this case goes any further in the wrong direction and the public loses any more confidence in the police system and before our democracy is eroded any further.
‘Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden must stand down and an investigation into his conduct be established,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘McFadden has misled the public, ignored evidence, laid incorrect charges, made inconsistent statements, engaged in victim blaming and taken the case in the wrong direction.
‘He even said that he had reviewed the body worn video with a number of commanders and police operations experts and he said, “There’s no information at this stage that… indicates any misconduct on behalf of my officers”.
‘The premier needs to step up now,’ said Sue Higginson.
‘In the ordinary course, prosecution processes should be left to run their course, but this one is extraordinary. A member of the community has been assaulted by police and left with potentially life long impairment for simply being present at a lawful and peaceful protest.
‘The premier must not hide behind such disturbing facts and circumstances’.
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