A New South Wales police officer has been charged with assault over the arrest of former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas during a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney earlier this year.
Ms Thomas, 35, was injured when she was detained during a protest in June outside the office of SEC Plating, which activists alleged was supplying parts for F-35 fighter aircraft used by the Israeli military in its war on Gaza. The company denied the claim.
Ms Thomas was detained, along with four fellow protesters, for allegedly ignoring a police order to move on.
She accused an officer of striking her in the face during the arrest, leaving her with a serious eye injury.
Prosecutors have since withdrawn all charges against her in relation to the Palestine protest and she has been awarded A$22,000 (£11,000) in legal costs.
Police confirmed a 33-year-old senior constable from a specialist command had been ordered to appear in a Bankstown court in November on a charge of assault resulting in actual bodily harm.
In a statement, the NSW police said the officer was being “managed in the workplace and his employment status is under review”.
A critical incident investigation, which is launched when a person is injured or killed during a police operation, remains underway. The investigation is being overseen by police watchdog Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
After her injury, Ms Thomas said “anti-protest laws aren’t just a threat to people protesting for Palestine but for any person who wants a safer world for all of us”.
Ms Thomas’s lawyer, Peter O’Brien, said on Tuesday the criminal charge against the officer was an important first step but signalled further legal action was imminent.
He described the arrest as a “cowardly, gratuitous, and compensable act of violence”.
Mr O’Brien said that they would also be prosecuting a case against the State of New South Wales “on the basis that the charges brought against Ms Thomas amounted to a malicious prosecution and that the decision to pursue such baseless and groundless charges also constituted a misfeasance in public office conducted by NSW Police”.
“It was of real and stark concern that the immediate response by the leadership of NSW Police in the immediate aftermath of Ms Thomas’ injury being sustained was that officers had done nothing wrong, despite clear and objective evidence to the contrary,” he said.
“The way peaceful protesters were treated that day is alarming for anyone concerned about democracy in this state.”
The lawyer said the injury suffered by Ms Thomas remained serious and her long-term recovery uncertain.
Meanwhile, the NSW Greens welcomed the police officer’s charge but argued more accountability was needed.
Police minister Yasmin Catley said in a statement that the process was unfolding as promised.
“As a result, an officer has been charged and his employment status is under review,” Ms Catley said.
“He is now before the courts and I won’t risk prejudicing this matter by commenting further.”
On Tuesday, Ms Thomas said the officer being charged was “a vindication for every person in this country who has protested for Palestine and been smeared for it”.
“I hope it encourages people to question the narrative pushed by politicians in relation to protestors, and to defend their right to protest by exercising it,” she said in a statement.
On her Instagram, she wrote: “I’m acutely aware that charges may have never been brought against this officer if I wasn’t a very privileged victim. My thoughts are with the many victims of police brutality, particularly First Nations people, who never see justice.”
