NSW Greens’ Hannah Thomas Injured & Charged After Pro-Palestine Protest
Image: hannah4grayndler/Instagram; deepcutnews/Instagram
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has been charged with resisting police after she was injured at a peaceful pro-Palestine protest.
Thomas, who ran against Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler at the last Federal election, was one of four people arrested at a protest outside of SEC Plating in Belmore on Friday morning.
Protesters allege that SEC Plating is involved in providing plating services for parts used in Israel’s F-35 jets, however the company denies this claim.
Footage of the protest shows police using “brutal” force on protesters, after they were issued with a move on order on the grounds that their protest was unauthorised.
During her arrest, Thomas sustained facial injuries and required surgery on Friday afternoon. She says she may permanently lose vision in her right eye.
In statement on Sunday evening, NSW Police said a 35-year-old woman was issued a future court attendance notice for hindering or resisting a police officer in the execution of duty, and refusing to comply with a direction to disperse.
Thomas is scheduled to appear at Bankstown local court on 12 August.
On Sunday night, Thomas posted a video to Instagram from her bed at Bankstown Hospital thanking her supporters.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail about the traumatic events on Friday but I’m 5’1, I weigh about 45kg,” she said. “I was engaged in peaceful protest, and my interactions with NSW police have left me potentially without vision in my right eye permanently.”
“I look like this now because of Chris Minns and Yasmin Catley and their draconian anti-protest laws, and their attempts to demonise protesters, especially protesters for Palestine. They’ve emboldened police to crack down with extreme violence and brutality.
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“What I’ve gone though is obviously nothing compared to what people in Gaza are going through because of Israel… that’s why we’re protesting and fighting, and that’s why we’ll keep protesting.”
Greens blame violence on expansion of anti-protest laws
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson says Thomas’ injuries are a direct result of the expansion of Chris Minns’ anti-protest laws, particularly the ban against protests near places of worship passed earlier in the year.
In a media release on Sunday evening, Higginson said a police fact sheet for an arrestee referenced the ban.
SEC Plating is across the road from Teebah Islamic Association Mosque.
“The level of impunity the police displayed doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s written there in black and white – a direct reference to the anti-protest laws rushed through the NSW Parliament under the sordid non-disclosure of the truth around the Dural Caravan incident,” she said.
“Chris Minns was warned, each time he pushed ahead with further crackdowns on legitimate and peaceful protest, that handing more powers to the Police, powers that the Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners have said they don’t even need, that the result would be state endorsed violence against the community. Now here we are.”
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden denied use of the anti-protest laws on Monday morning, telling 702 ABC Radio Sydney, “The move-on directions were not related to the new legislation that has come in place.”
Speaking at an event on Sunday, Minns said police were investigating the extent of Thomas’ injuries, but that it was too early to comment on the incident.
“I’d wait for that information to come in,” he said.
“I’m obviously concerned about her injuries [and] anyone who is in those circumstances I’d wish a speedy recovery.”
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Ms. HannahThomas, the Greens candidate who ran against Anthony Albanese at the last election, is probably going to lose sight in one eye due to NSW police over-reaction to a peaceful protest. At 5 foot 1 inch and weighing 45 kilos was Ms. Thomas truly a threat at a peaceful protest event? The filmed facts are clear: the protest was peaceful until the police charged and man-handled non-violent people. Months ago Chris Minns rammed over-the-top, police-state laws through NSW parliament in the dead of night based on poor police information. The Premier and his Labor Party have foisted dangerous laws on the voters of NSW. Despite having two eyes, Minns fails to see his own culpability for Ms. Thomas’s loss of sight in one eye. NSW police are starting to emulate Donald Trump’s ICE agents in their treatment of innocent cxitizens.