NSW Premier Chris Minns faces criticism after violence at anti-Herzog protests

NSW Premier Chris Minns has been accused of a “betrayal of Labor values” after the state leader defended the controversial actions of NSW Police after a mass protest descended into chaos. Mr Minns and NSW Police have come under intense scrutiny after violent clashes erupted on Monday during a demonstration against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s state visit. Protest organisers Palestine Action Group have since accused authorities of “state violence” and “police brutality”, while Mr Minns has doubled down on his defence of NSW Police, describing its response as “proportionate” in “exceptionally difficult circumstances”. “It was an impossible situation. As distressing as those scenes were, it would have been far worse if the protesters had breached police lines and we had conflict in Sydney streets. That would have been terrible,” Mr Minns said on Monday. But members of NSW Labor’s rank and file have expressed “deep concern and anger” at his position, with NSW Labor Friends of Palestine co-convener Peter Moss telling NewsWire: “The Premier’s attacks on our fundamental rights are a betrayal of Labor values that will go down as an infamous moment in NSW and Australian history. “In my view, the Premier must take personal responsibility for the outcomes of his incendiary rhetoric and smears that he has repeated over the past two months. “In this time of crisis, Chris Minns should seek to unify and represent all the communities of NSW. “Instead, in my view, he has deliberately stoked division and opened the door to violence by falsely linking the peaceful protest movement to a terrorist atrocity.” Mr Moss’s comments come after the pro-Palestine Labor group wrote to NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley this week to demand an independent investigation into the police’s actions. On Monday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that body-worn camera footage would be reviewed but backed the officers’ actions. “As the commissioner, I’m committed to making sure that we review the actions of police, but I can say I am proud of what they did (on Monday) night in holding the line,” he said. Social media footage and eyewitness accounts have showed demonstrators being pepper-sprayed, Muslim worshippers being aggressively “moved on”, and protesters being punched by police officers. This conduct has been defended by NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna, who said officers showed “enormous restraint in a high-pressured situation”. “The antagonistic behaviour and provocation displayed by several protesters was significant; however, the professionalism of the police was borne out and I commend the composure shown by our officers on the front line,” Mr McKenna said on Monday. A copy of the NSW Labor Friends of Palestine letter, obtained by NewsWire, details the “distress and disgust” experienced by several group members who were present at the demonstration. “Our concerns are based on the first-hand experience of Labor Party members who attended the protest, not on video footage or media reports,” the letter read. The group later added: “We are disappointed that it is a Labor government – a government we worked to elect – that has presided over the terrible erosion of civil liberties in NSW and we are deeply distressed that it is a Labor government that enabled the violence we saw against protesters at Town Hall (on Monday). “We call on you to initiate a thorough independent investigation into NSW Police behaviour before, during and after the Town Hall protest. “We also urge you to work with police and civil society representatives to develop a more progressive approach to the policing of protest to ensure that the right to political expression is protected and we never see another protest like the one we experienced (on Monday).” The Premier’s office has been contacted for comment.