Dramatic Moment Wave of Police Charge Down Pro-Palestine Crowd

New South Wales (NSW) police charged at pro-Palestine protesters who gathered near Sydney’s Town Hall as Israeli President Isaac Herzog started a four-day visit to Australia on Monday, February 9. Footage posted to Reddit by user the_long_grape shows police charging at a scattered group of people down Bathurst Street in Sydney’s central business district. On-the-ground footage suggests that authorities deployed chemical irritants to disperse crowds. On Tuesday morning, NSW premier Chris Minns defended the actions of police during the violent confrontations. According to local news reports, 27 people were arrested, including 10 for assaulting police. “Don’t be fooled or intimidated by some of the headlines and Chris Minns scare campaign. It is absolutely lawful for us to assemble at Sydney Town Hall Square for a massive protest to say stope the genocide and arrest Herzog,” organisers Palestine Action Group said in a statement. “We are calling on police to allow our march to NSW Parliament, which they could easily do. But we are not seeking any confrontation, this will be a peaceful protest.”