Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has spoken out in an Instagram video from her hospital bed after undergoing surgery from injuries sustained while being arrested by NSW Police at an anti-Israel protest in Sydney on Friday.
She began the video by thanking her followers for their support as well as Bankstown Hospital and the paramedics who cared for her following the incident.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail about the traumatic events on Friday,” she said. “I’m five foot one. I weigh about 45 kilos. I was engaged in peaceful protest, and my interactions with NSW Police have left me potentially without vision in my right eye, permanently.
She went on to slam the “draconian anti-protest laws” and the Minns Government for its “attempts to demonise protesters, especially protesters for Palestine”.
Hannah Thomas speaks from her hospital bed. (Credit: Instagram / Hannah Thomas)
Thomas — who ran against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Grayndler — was arrested on Friday in Belmore, alongside four others, during a protest outside of SEC Plating, which the protestors claim supplies plating for F-35 jets used by the Israeli Defence Force.
Per the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Police described the protest as “unauthorised” and at the time, officers issued a move-on direction to “a group of about 60 protestors” after they allegedly attempted to block access into the business.
“Police issued a second move-on direction to the group,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“A 26-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were subsequently arrested after allegedly failing to comply with the direction. During the 35-year-old woman’s arrest, she sustained facial injuries and was taken to Bankstown Hospital for treatment.”
On Sunday, NSW Police confirmed Thomas has been issued a Future Court Attendance Notice for “hinder or resist a police officer in the execution of duty and refuse/fail to comply with a direction to disperse”.
Police are now being questioned on whether or not they used new anti-protest powers allowing them to break up protests in places of worship during the incident.
In February of this year, NSW Premier Chris Minns passed new laws that banned protests near places of worship, which came off the heels of the Dural Caravan Incident, in which a caravan full of explosives was found alongside an address of a synagogue, Jewish people and antisemitic messaging.
According to the act, NSW Police cannot issue move-on directions for protests unless it’s decided it’s a “serious risk” to safety, blocks access or impedes traffic near a place of worship.
NSW Police has denied that it used anti-protest laws on Friday and that the group were given a move-on order for allegedly blocking access into the building.
When pressed about his anti-protesting laws on Sunday, Minns said it was too early to comment on whether it was an appropriate use of the new powers.
“I’d wait for that information to come in,” he said, per SMH.
“I’m obviously concerned about her injuries [and] anyone who is in those circumstances, I’d wish a speedy recovery.”
Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Monday morning, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said he decided against declaring a critical incident after reviewing the body-worn camera footage.
“Our police are asked to do difficult things every single day of the week, and in the information available to me, there’s no misconduct identified, and I back the actions of my police,” he said.
He went on to allege that Thomas had denied requests for police to interview her and access her medical information.
“There’s been no contact and no information about the nature of injury she’s actually sustained,” McFadden said, adding that while that is her right, he could only make the critical incident decision – aka an incident involving a member of the police force that results in the death of, or serious injury to, a person and would require them to investigate – without sufficient information.
The former Greens candidate is set to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday, August 12.
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