Sydney Police Disperse Protest, Brutality Allegations Probed

0:00I'm Corey with The Story, and this is your Pulse of the City, Sydney News Today. New documents released under Freedom of Information Laws show that police and Sydney planned to disperse a protest against visiting Israeli President. Isaac Herzog, if the crowd grew larger than 6,000 at Town Hall, officials exchanged messages on an encrypted app from inside the Police Operations Center that night in February. They tracked the gathering ecstatic around 3 or 4,000, with speakers urging a march, but noted the calm mood among families before any, action. Public comments from New South Wales Premier Chris Minnes and Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon focused instead on protesters defying march restrictions, under major events, rules, putting officers in a tough spot amid rising tensions. Violent clashes followed, captured on social media, leading to charges against several pro-Palestine demonstrators for public order offenses. Some attendees described aggressive police tactics, including during prayers.

1:00Now the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission is probing brutality allegations, while protesters consider civil lawsuits against the force. With crowd estimates varying in investigations ongoing, the full story behind the dispersal is still unfolding.