- Author: Peter Hackney Posted: Thursday, 11 July 2013
The
City of Sydney Council and NSW Police have come under fire after a raid
on the Occupy Sydney site in Martin Place left an Aboriginal
grandmother in hospital.
At the behest of the Council, NSW Police
officers launched several incursions on the CBD location commencing last
Wednesday, dispersing Occupy Sydney participants and their belongings,
only to have the ‘occupiers’ regroup afterwards each time.
In ugly scenes on Friday morning, Indigenous
participant Colleen Fuller, 55, was taken to hospital after a raid by
police and council representatives.
Ms Fuller, who is mobility impaired and uses a
wheelchair, alleged she was assaulted at the Occupy Sydney tent by a
man in a suit, believed to be a Council official, and said several
police officers pulled her out of her wheelchair.
An ambulance was called for Ms Fuller, who was
taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with bruising and soft tissue
damage but given the all-clear on suspected fractures.
Ms Fuller, who was released from hospital that
night, said the fracas started when “this big fella in a suit slapped a
pot of hot water out of my hand, splashing it on my foot”.
“Then police started removing the crates
containing all our gear. I grabbed hold of one of the crates but they
kept pulling them, pulling me out of my wheelchair.
“Next thing I know, I’m on the ground and four
police officers picked me up and started carrying me away. One of them
yelled out ‘you’re under arrest’ and then they dropped me on the
ground.”
A NSW Police spokesperson disputed Ms Fuller’s version of events and said they would not investigate the matter.
“There was no assault as claimed, thus there is no investigation,” said the spokesperson.
“If someone wishes to lodge a complaint of assualt, they may attend any police station and provide a statement.”
The spokesperson said no charges were outstanding against Ms Fuller.
Greens Councillor Irene Doutney expressed
sympathy for the grandmother and criticised the City’s decision to
disperse the Occupy group, which formed in late 2011 as a protest
against corporate greed and has more recently focused on feeding the
homeless.
“I said this would happen if we got police involved,” said Ms Doutney.
“I’ve been to many protests and rallies, and I know how they behave.”
Of Sydney’s ten councillors, Ms Doutney and
Labor Councillor Linda Scott were the sole dissenters against last
month’s motion by Liberal Councillor Christine Forster asking police to
remove Occupy Sydney.
Ms Scott compared the events to the rally-busting antics of Queensland’s infamous Bjelke-Petersen Government.
“Calling for the NSW Police to intervene harks
back to the politics of Joh Bjelke-Petersen,” said Ms Scott. “I am
incredibly disappointed that this has happened.”
Ms Forster defended her role in the matter.
“It’s a terrible thing if someone has been
injured but a decision was made that they need to move – and if people
leave peacefully, presumably no-one will get hurt,” she said.
“This is not about stopping people’s right to protest, it’s simply about restoring public space to how it should be.”
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore took a similar
view: “I support the right of people to protest … however, the City of
Sydney has a duty to maintain public open space for everyone’s use.”
Ms Fuller called on the City of Sydney and
Channel Seven, who have studios in Martin Place, to release any footage
they have of Friday morning’s incident.
Channel Seven reporter Robert Ovadia posted
photos of Ms Fuller on the ground in Martin Place to his Twitter
account, writing she had fallen “voluntarily, it seemed”.
Ms Fuller countered: “He should know that’s not true because he was there on Friday morning, with a cameraman filming.
“If they want to say I fell voluntarily, then release the footage showing that.”
A Seven spokesperson told City News: “Our cameras were not rolling on this particular incident.
“Crime reporter Robert Ovadia was tweeting
live all he witnessed while covering the dismantling of Occupy Sydney at
Martin Place for Seven News.”
Meanwhile, Occupy Sydney stalwart Lance
Priestley said the group would prevail no matter how many times their
site was dismantled.
At press time, the group was back in Martin Place offering food to the homeless.
“We’re back up and cooking again,” said Mr Priestley. “Sydney’s
homeless must be fed despite the Council wanting to starve them out.” |
| Colleen Fuller on the ground in Martin Place after Friday morning's police raid / Photo: Twitter/Robert Ovadia |
http://www.altmedia.net.au/grandmother-hospitalised-after-occupy-sydney-raid/78596
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