Police brutality disrupts USyd Climate Strike
Fabian Robertson reports.
NSW police violently forced USyd students off Broadway during Friday’s Climate Strike in contravention of a prior agreement between student representatives and Newtown Police. The few minutes of violence occurred outside UTS Tower only seconds after a sudden move on order was issued by a leading officer.
Members of law enforcement were witnessed repeatedly shoving, dragging, and throwing peaceful protestors to the ground with inadequate warning. According to an SRC media release, police also confiscated a “living artefact of the Sydney climate movement” - an Enviro Collective banner that had accumulated thousands of signatures since its creation 5 years ago.
The violence was triggered by the surprise issuing of a move on order that conflicted with the prior agreement between students and police. Strike organisers submitted a formal Notice of Intention to Hold a Public Assembly and had received verbal confirmation from police that the contingent could march on the street to Town Hall, with a brief stop at UTS. According to ASEN member and strike organiser, Seth Dias, the move on order contradicted the agreed-upon plan and was given primarily to “rough-up protesters and provide cover for violence”.
“When we reached UTS, protesters remained on the road as we thought was agreed on. Without any prior indication, the lead policemen began reading out the formal move on notice over a small megaphone which went largely unheard amidst chanting and other louder megaphones. The entire point of a move on order is that you give people a chance to comply without incident and hear that they could be arrested if they don’t comply. In this instance, however, the riot squad began physically moving people less than two seconds after the order was completed,” Dias said.
As a liaison between students and police, Dias questioned the lead Newtown Police officer, who threatened to arrest him if he “didn’t stop talking immediately”. Lead riot officer Strawbridge told Dias to “stop fucking talking and leave immediately unless you want to be arrested”.
The USyd contingent was let back on to Broadway minutes later to resume the march to Town Hall.
The brief period of violence occurred following heavy police presence from Fisher Library to Town Hall. Up to 50 police officers and multiple police vehicles met students as they congregated outside Fisher Library and marched down Eastern Avenue. Once at UTS, police numbered up to 100.
USyd Enviro Convenor, Lauren Lancaster, condemned the actions of police.
“I am so sick of being shoved and screamed at by riot police, watching my friends get thrown onto concrete and holding fellow activists as they cry during panic attacks caused by police trauma. The officers I saw gang up on my friends and family were rabid, they were foaming at the bit to attack left-wing university students on Friday. And they were strategic - they got us outside UTS, away from the crowds and mainstream media of the main SS4C protest at Town Hall,” Lancaster said.
The violence comes after confidential emails acquired by the SRC revealed the extensive police surveillance of student activism on campus and their liaison with USyd management.