Bodycam footage from police patrolling an Isaac Herzog protest earlier this year has been aired in a Sydney court, including a clip showing the actions of an officer before he boasted, “I punched him in the head when he was down.”
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he → patrol → head
New South Wales police body-worn camera footage was leaked in September showing a male officer bragging to his colleagues during the 9 February rally outside Sydney town hall against the visiting Israeli president.
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officer → wear → president
In the leaked clip, the officer could be heard stating: “I fucking pumped that cunt.”
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I → leak → cunt
On Friday, Downing Centre local court viewed new bodycam footage that showed what happened before those controversial comments.
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what → view → comments
Lawyer Nick Hanna said the video, which shows the officer running at Wenzel Auch and pushing him to the ground, depicted an “unlawful use of force”.
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officer → say → force
Auch was charged with assaulting police but the charge was withdrawn in August.
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charge → charge → August
The court on Friday was also shown the viral clip that was leaked in September.
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that → show → September
Hanna told the judge: “Auch was charged with assaulting … the very officer boasting about how he pumped him and punched him in the head when he was down.”
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he → tell → head
Hanna is one of several lawyers representing 17 protesters charged after the anti-Herzog rally in Sydney.
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Hanna → represent → Sydney
They are due to face a joint trial in July 2027.
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They → face → July
Bodycam footage aired on Friday in court was tendered as the defence seeks to access internal police documents ahead of the trial.
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defence → air → trial
Hanna told the court on Friday the videos showed a concerning “pattern of conduct” including unlawful arrests and unlawful use of force and capsicum spray.
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videos → tell → force
The 32-minute compilation was put together by the defence team and did not include all events leading up to clashes.
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compilation → put → clashes
Friday’s hearing came after the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, refused to release a number of internal documents the defence team had subpoenaed.
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team → come → documents
On Monday, Judge Scott Nash ordered that NSW police provide the documents, which would include communications between police, the premier, other NSW cabinet ministers and their staff.
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which → order → police
The papers would also cover directions by senior police to officers.
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papers → cover → officers
NSW police intend to challenge Monday’s ruling on public interest immunity grounds.
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police → intend → grounds
The failed attempt to block the release of documents was based on the defence application lacking a “proper forensic foundation”.
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application → fail → foundation
Senior police unsuccessfully argued there was “no evidentiary basis for supporting that political figures directed or improperly influenced operational police decisions”.
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figures → argue → decisions
During Friday’s hearing, police dropped charges against a further seven protesters.
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police → drop → protesters
In total, charges have now been dropped against 11 individuals.
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charges → drop → individuals
‘They’ve had all day to pray’
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They → have → day
In one video played to the court, Eyad Shadid – the first protester to have their charges withdrawn – can be seen standing between a line of advancing police and Muslim worshippers undertaking sunset prayers.
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charges → play → prayers
He and other protesters are asking the police at town hall to stop because people are praying.
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people → ask → hall
An officer responds “they’ve had all day to pray” before members of the prayer group are dragged away.
“As any person familiar with fundamentals of Muslim religion would know that’s an entirely misconceived opinion,” Hanna told the court.
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Hanna → respond → religion
Bodycam footage then shows Shadid being dragged to the ground by police.
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Shadid → show → police
He was later charged with failing to comply with a police direction and resisting arrest before police withdrew the charges.
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police → charge → charges
Shadid is suing over the incident, alleging police made “a series of false accusations” before charging him.
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police → sue → him
‘Walk him in the shit’
In a separate video, bodycam footage shows a police officer saying “try to walk him in the shit” after a protester was arrested.
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protester → walk → shit
Hanna argued in court on Friday the comment referred to dragging the man through horse manure that was on the ground from the use of mounted police that evening.
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that → argue → police
Auch was initially set to be part of the joint trial scheduled for July 2027, before his charge of assaulting the police was dropped.
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charge → set → police
Outside court, Auch’s lawyer, Majed Kheir, labelled the bodycam footage a “cruel irony” given his client was charged.
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client → label → footage
“I can’t say that I’m shocked because I’ve had the privilege of representing a number of people who found themselves in those circumstances,” he said.
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he → say → circumstances
A Law Enforcement Conduct Commission inquiry into allegations of police brutality at the Herzog rally has so far found protesters were “largely peaceful” and there was “limited evidence of physical violence on the part of the protesters”.
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protesters → find → protesters
In his opening address on behalf of Lanyon on Monday, David Sulan SC said there had been “an unprecedented level of serious verbal abuse … directed towards police”.
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SC → open → police
“Despite these difficulties, there were many positive acts of policing before and during the protest,” Sulan said on behalf of the commissioner.
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Sulan → be → commissioner
The Aporia
