The video's original caption says: "This poor guy was calm. [He] was just talking to the police, you can see it in the video. [Then] he gets thrown to the ground." The footage also captured the sound of the man's skull hitting the floor, rendering him unconscious. "[When] he woke up, he was calling for his mum," the woman who recorded the footage said.
According to the woman, the same officer who threw the man also put handcuffs on him while he was unconscious. Paramedics tried to attend to the unconscious protester, but Victoria Police officers informed them that they were "not needed." The current condition of the man assaulted at Flinders Street Station remains unknown as of writing.
The woman recording the footage, which has gone viral on social media, told News.com.au: "We are all very disturbed by this, and I've been inundated with people worldwide wanting to know if this man is alright. [We] understand the paramedics looked at him, but [we're] not sure what happened after that."
Writer Sonia Hickey condemned the Sept. 22 assault in a piece for Sydney Criminal Lawyers, adding that the police officer's move "had the potential to prove fatal." She noted that "[witnesses] report the man [being] knocked unconscious and left in a pool of his own blood and urine."
"Keeping the peace and ensuring public safety [is] one thing, but forcefully throwing a man to the ground is another [thing] entirely – particularly when he has been grabbed from behind, and has no ability to defend himself," Hickey wrote.
Authorities unsurprisingly defend the officers' actions
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton commented on the footage on Sept. 23, a day after the incident. He told reporters that an investigation would be conducted to determine what actually led to the assault. "I don't know what the full circumstances are, [but there's] always context to everything. We'll investigate it with an open mind," Patton said.
The chief commissioner nevertheless insisted that he was not "jumping to any conclusions." He adds: "[There'll] be incidents that appear, or may be inappropriate. [Any] of them that are, we will fully investigate."
Patton also defended the response of Victoria Police officers to Australians protesting Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns. According to Patton, law enforcement has been "responding proportionately in an environment that was dynamic, threatening and frightening."
"I couldn't be prouder of them, [what] they've done and the way they've conducted themselves."
The Sept. 22 assault at Flinders Street Station occurred during the fourth day of protests against COVID-19 lockdowns, the sixth of many stringent mandates since the pandemic began. The lockdowns imposed by Victoria Premier Dan Andrews subject residents to curfews, travel restrictions and prohibitions on public gatherings – including protests, which are deemed illegal. (Related: THE TYRANNY NEVER ENDS: Australia extends COVID-19 emergency powers for three months.)
Andrews condemned the "ugly" actions of protesters on Sept. 23 and praised the Victoria Police's effective tactics during the demonstrations. "Police [officers] were very effective … and I thank them for putting themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe," he said. The Victoria premier also slammed protesters spitting at law enforcement, saying: "Why would you spit on people who are doing that sort of work? That is uncalled for."
Ultimately, Hickey wrote in her piece that extended lockdowns ordered by Andrews "have undoubtedly created a pressure cooker environment in Victoria." She also believes that people have been incredibly frustrated by months of "restricted movement, curfews and business closures."
"Seeing the streets taken over by angry mobs is unlike anything we've witnessed before in Australia … [and] it's likely that we could be well seeing more are people stand up for their democratic right to personal choice." (Related: REVOLT: Australian truck drivers protest border restrictions, mandatory vaccinations as local "authorities" treat citizens like medical prisoners.)
MedicalTyranny.com has more articles about Australia's draconian response to anti-lockdown protests.
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