EX-GREENS CANDIDATE’S SHOCKING ORDEAL: Hannah Thomas Awarded $22,000 After ‘Unlawful’ Arrest at Pro-Palestinian Rally Turns Ugly
- Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas was seriously injured during a Sydney pro-Palestinian rally, allegedly punched by a police officer.
- All charges against Ms Thomas were dropped, with a magistrate ruling the proceedings were initiated without reasonable cause.
- Ms Thomas has been awarded $21,795 in legal costs, with her lawyer slamming the prosecution as ‘irresponsible and baseless’.
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has been awarded a staggering $21,795 in legal costs after a shocking ordeal at a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney turned ugly. The 44-year-old was among a group of protesters gathered outside the SEC Plating manufacturing facility in Belmore in June, alleging the company supplies components used in the manufacture of F-35 jets – the same class of jets flown by the Israel Defense Forces.
However, the protest took a violent turn when police attempted to move the group on, with Ms Thomas sustaining a serious injury to her eye during her arrest. She alleges she was punched by an officer, a claim that has sparked widespread outrage.
In a scathing indictment of the prosecution, Magistrate George Breton ruled that the proceedings against Ms Thomas and three other defendants were initiated without reasonable cause. The magistrate found that there was a ‘flaw in the prosecution case’ and that the assertion of the unlawfulness of the protest was used as a basis for the move-on direction issued.
‘When defendants face the weight of the state against them and are presumed to be innocent, proper process dictates that it will be incumbent on them to investigate matters that may disprove the prosecution case,’ Magistrate Breton said. ‘In this case, it seems that was fairly obvious and a necessary step to take.’
Ms Thomas’s lawyer, Peter O’Brien, slammed the prosecution as ‘irresponsible and baseless’, alleging that his client was ‘punched gratuitously in the face’ by a police officer during the ‘plainly unlawful’ arrest. Mr O’Brien has previously foreshadowed civil proceedings against NSW Police in the Supreme Court over the incident, including for malicious prosecution, assault and battery by police, malfeasance in public office and collateral abuse of process.
The cases against three other members of the group – Zachary Schofield, Shane Reside and Holly Zhang – have also been withdrawn, with costs orders of $6,160, $6,530 and $5,000 respectively.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for greater accountability from police and an end to the ‘heavy-handed’ tactics used against peaceful protesters.