People Are Furious At NSW Police For Pepper Spraying Protestors Inside A Train Station
“I did nothing, look what you did. Look what you did."
After a day of largely peaceful protests, NSW police are under fire for using pepper spray on a small group of protestors inside Sydney’s Central Station.
Footage uploaded to Twitter seems to show some straggling protestors being ushered by police from the street into the train station.
Getting a bit raucous as police move #blacklivesmatteraustralia protesters away from the street and into central station. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/VsAyfu49bs
— Benedict Brook (@BenedictBrook) June 6, 2020
Inside the enclosed space, with exits blocked off, police deployed pepper spray.
Cops just pepper sprayed non-violent protesters #blacklivesmatteraustralia pic.twitter.com/MpUo8ZlOpJ
— Zac Crellin (@zacrellin) June 6, 2020
If you've never been to Central, you might not know, but the station is entirely underground (unless you're travelling outside Sydney). Behind these protesters are stairs up to train platforms going west. The cops are blocking the only exits. They are completely kettled in. https://t.co/TExvSsh8cF
— Kara Schlegl (@karaschlegl) June 6, 2020
Further evidence showing how NSW Police forced people into Central Station underground, creating confusion, distress and anxiety in an already very cramped space. They the proceeded to pepper spray these same people. Disgusting. https://t.co/ayXC0KxszX
— Ayesha Sweeney (@AyeshaSweeney3) June 7, 2020
The protestors sprayed included a woman on crutches, who was filmed visibly shaken and upset by the incident.
“If you did this to a white woman, what do you do to black people?”
Footage of a disabled woman who was maced on the lower concourse of central station tonight.
“I served five years on the defence force, and was medically discharged.”#Sydneyprotest pic.twitter.com/NRlfB457om
— john buckley (@jbu2000) June 6, 2020
50,000 people came out today to peacefully protest Black Lives Matter in Sydney today. After a few hours of chants the police turned aggressive. They blocked us off at #centralstation and trapped us in. Then proceeded to pepper spray into the crowd who wanted to go home
— pk azad (@pk_azad1) June 6, 2020
One of the protesters at Central on the platforms after what appeared to pepper spray in the concourse below. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/Sh4hVFz4xo
— Benedict Brook (@BenedictBrook) June 6, 2020
Many people are questioning why protestors were corralled into an enclosed space, why pepper spray was released inside the enclosed space, and why it was released at all, at non-violent protestors.
WATCHED LITERAL TEENAGES BE PEPPERSPRAYED. This is the exact police brutality tens of thousands marched against today. Instead of letting the protest peter out, hundreds of riot cops violently kettled us into central station and then pepper sprayed us…
— Jordi Pardoel (@JordiPardoel) June 6, 2020
The criminally violent and corrupt @nswpolice have kettled between 100-200 remaining peaceful protestors in the lower concourse of Central Station and are brutalising and arresting them, including the use of pepper spray in a confined area.
— tony shalhoub memes (@maximumcuddles) June 6, 2020
When the protest ended, the cops ushered people into a section of Central Station that they’d already cordoned off with barricades. Once trapping a group inside, NSW police unloaded pepper spray on them. These people were baited. Police minister David Elliot must resign. https://t.co/4MPTfBvYAh
— Wow! That’s so metaphorical. (@packetofchips) June 6, 2020
“Lingering” is not an indictable offence last time I checked NSW Crimes Act 1914 https://t.co/Tpkefiv5j2
— 👣 🌏 💫 Paul Dutton 🌳 🦅 🐾 (@pauldutton1968) June 6, 2020
There’s more people milling about Central after a Swans game. And in that case many are drunk. Yet somehow @nswpolice manages to work with the crowd without pepper spray and excessive force. What a stupid moment to lose control @nswpolice. You’ve lost any goodwill you had earlier
— Rachael Lonergan (@RachaelHasIdeas) June 6, 2020
There’s so far been no statement from police about the incident.
Are you guys going to make a statement about the coordinated funneling of peaceful protesters into a already crowded Central Station to then pepper spray them in the middle of a pandemic that causes breathing problems?
— Cody (@Cody_2G) June 6, 2020