NSW Police loves nothing more than harassing protesters only to run with its tail between its legs when it actually gets confronted over it. Case in point with its recent raid-gone-wrong of a climate protest group in Sydney.
NSW Police sent officers from “Strike Force Guard”, AKA the newly-invented squad which investigates “unauthorised protests” across the state, to raid a property in Colo on Sunday morning.
Side note: WTF is an unauthorised protest, really? Isn’t the whole point of a protest to be disruptive? Protests by definition should not be state-sanctioned. Australian democracy, everyone.
Anyway, the officers arrived on the property in an unmarked car at 8.30am to surveil Blockade Australia activists on the property who they claim were planning an “illegal protest”. Ah yes, thought crimes.
The activists noticed “strangers” watching them and according to their lawyers, they asked the officers to identify themselves and state their reasons for being there.
The incognito police officers, clearly bright and great at diplomacy, instead just… retreated into their car. Which, by the way, was unmarked. They were followed by activists who surrounded the vehicle, which their lawyers say was an attempt at figuring out who TF these intimidating randos spying on them were.
Oh what BS! We act for the protesters. They were legally and peacefully camping on their own property when they discovered an armed surveillance team in cammo taking photos. POLICE DID NOT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES. Massive force then came in. Outrageous https://t.co/mBSJDIPZky
