The New South Wales Police Force acknowledged on Thursday that a high-ranking officer had permitted a group of Muslim demonstrators to continue their prayers at Town Hall Square on Monday evening.
Footage showing police officers interrupting the prayer and forcibly removing the men ignited significant public backlash. The incident occurred during a large protest organized by the Palestine Action Group in Sydney’s Central Business District.
A police spokesperson explained to 9News.com.au, “The senior officer was trying to communicate instructions to other officers who were enforcing a directive in what was a loud, dynamic, and rapidly evolving situation.”
“Unfortunately, some worshippers were moved on before the senior officer’s message could be conveyed,” the spokesperson added.
Community member Hawila praised the officer, stating, “El-Badawi is a hero. He acted appropriately. It’s unfortunate that other officers didn’t demonstrate the same level of professionalism.”
He emphasized the brevity of the prayer, noting, “The entire prayer lasts less than five minutes.”
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the move-on direction was not targeting any religion and he’d “apologised for any offence taken for interfering with that religious process”.
But Australia’s central Islamic body on Thursday wrote to Lanyon demanding a full public apology for the way worshippers and other protesters were treated.
“We have called for the establishment of an independent inquiry into this incident and for officers to be held accountable and subject to disciplinary action for using disproportionate and unnecessary force against our community,” the Australian National Imams Council (Bilal Rauf) said in a statement.
“Many of the injuries sustained by protesters are far too severe to ignore and far too severe to justify as necessary action.
“We note that this abuse extended beyond the Muslim community, and was inflicted upon Australians from many different backgrounds who rallied together to express their concern over President Herzog’s visit, and the unfolding genocide in Gaza.”
ANIC senior adviser Bilal Rauf said it was “difficult to see what circumstances or context would have justified that level of intervention” from police.
“When one looks at the video it is very clear they are to the side and praying. Police come along part way through and while worshippers have their back turned, suddenly they are being picked up, thrown along and dragged,” he told ABC radio on Thursday.
The Greens have led calls in parliament for an apology and a full independent investigation of police actions but the four Labor MPs who attended the protest â Anthony D’Adam, Dr Sarah Kaine, Stephen Lawrence and Cameron Murphy â have also called for some form of inquiry.
Minns said he wished his MPs had not attended the protest and accused the Greens of “throwing fuel on the fire in a combustible situation” with “inflammatory language”.
“I do not support an independent investigation,” he said in Parliament on Thursday.
“I make it clear that I am not going to condemn the police for doing what we asked them to do: to keep the public safe.Â
“I am not going to throw the police under a bus.”
D’Adam explicitly called on the premier, police minister and police commissioner to apologise.
“I was shocked by the footage of members of the Muslim community being hauled away in the middle of prayer,” he said in parliament on Wednesday.
“We can say that, on the whole, the government’s position is that the protest was illegitimate and that the protesters got what they deserved. That seems to be the position being advanced by the police and the government.Â
“One can maintain that position and still recognise that what occurred was wrong. That particular instance was wrong. It was a mistake.”
Protesters have argued police powers stopping them from marching through the city â enabled by laws rushed through the parliament late last year â made matters worse.
Police and Minns have consistently said they acted appropriately and stressed that protesters were offered the chance to march at Hyde Park but could not in the CBD, due partly to Herzog’s visit.
“What must be understood in these circumstances â and I am determined to make this case over and over again â is that we had thousands of mourners in the city on that day. We had thousands of protesters in the city on that day,” Minns said on Thursday.
“We had a visiting head of state in New South Wales that the NSW Police Force was responsible for protecting. I am very grateful that protesters did not breach police lines. If they had breached police lines then the circumstances in our community would have been far worse.”
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