NSW Police, Known For Abusing Protesters, Said Climate Activists Made Them Fear For Their Lives

NSW Police loves nothing more than harassing protesters only to run with its tail between its legs when it actually gets confronted over it. Case in point with its recent raid-gone-wrong of a climate protest group in Sydney. NSW Police sent officers from “Strike Force Guard”, AKA the newly-invented squad which investigates “unauthorised protests” across the state, to raid a property in Colo on Sunday morning. Side note: WTF is an unauthorised protest, really? Isn’t the whole point of a protest to be disruptive? Protests by definition should not be state-sanctioned. Australian democracy, everyone. Anyway, the officers arrived on the property in an unmarked car at 8.30am to surveil Blockade Australia activists on the property who they claim were planning an “illegal protest”. Ah yes, thought crimes. The activists noticed “strangers” watching them and according to their lawyers, they asked the officers to identify themselves and state their reasons for being there. The incognito police officers, clearly bright and great at diplomacy, instead just… retreated into their car. Which, by the way, was unmarked. They were followed by activists who surrounded the vehicle, which their lawyers say was an attempt at figuring out who TF these intimidating randos spying on them were.

Oh what BS! We act for the protesters. They were legally and peacefully camping on their own property when they discovered an armed surveillance team in cammo taking photos. POLICE DID NOT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES. Massive force then came in. Outrageous https://t.co/mBSJDIPZky

— SydneyCityCrime (@SydneyCityCrime) June 19, 2022

“Those police that were attacked by that group this morning feared for their lives,” Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said.

“They called for urgent assistance and police from all over the Sydney metropolitan area responded to assist and provide aid to those police officers.”

police Police Police all protesters

5 of the Colo 7 granted bail today. We will vigorously defend these cases, where Police failed to reveal their identities and improperly entered private property.

The 7 were totally entitled to apprehend and question the incognito officers. More to this story than reported. pic.twitter.com/SKdYJJPcND

— SydneyCityCrime (@SydneyCityCrime) June 20, 2022

The firm representing Blockade Australia told The Guardian NSW Police had no basis for even being on the property in the first place.

“This is complete overreach,” Sydney City Crime’s principal lawyer Joe Harb said.

“It is clear that police came merely to provoke a reaction and now they want to cry that they were the victims and in fear.”

Fellow lawyer Mark Davis said the protesters repeatedly asked the cops to identify themselves with no answer.

“The protesters kept asking who they were and the police walked away, before an unmarked car pulled up and they got in,” he said.

“The protesters surrounded the car, demanding they identify themselves. They had no legal basis to be on the property.”

But it wouldn’t be NSW Police if there wasn’t some kind of unethical provocation involved, would it?

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But according to NSW Police, the protesters were “aggressive”, slashed the vehicle’s tires and — get this — made the officers “fear for their lives” due to their “attack”. Ah yes, because it’s the that were in danger in these scenario, right? Not the defenceless protesters who found their property was being raided by strangers in full cammo and assault gear? Officers attached to Hawkesbury Area Command, neighbouring commands *and* specialist resources including PolAir, the Dog Unit, the Public Order and Riot Squad, Rescue, Raptor Squad and Operations Support Group responded to the strike force’s calls for back up. Seven people were arrested for the crime of wanting to know why TF they were being raided. Affray, intimidation of a police officer in execution of duty, assaulting an officer in execution of duty without actual bodily harm and aiding the commission of crime (!!!) are just some of the charges these people were slapped with. FYI, no police officers were injured during the confrontation. But sure, the are the aggressive ones.