Showdown set for police and anti-Herzog protesters

More than a dozen protesters who were charged after rallying against a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog will fight the charges against them in a month-long hearing.

A band of 16 activists attended Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday after contesting a slew of charges, including assault, resisting arrest and throwing a missile at police.

The charges relate to a demonstration held at Sydney Town Hall on February 9, which descended into a violent clash between protesters and police.

The rally was restricted by laws passed following Bondi’s terror attack in December, which have since been struck down in the NSW Supreme Court.

The protesters argue the ruling means their charges should be thrown out.

One of the activists achieved that outcome in court on Wednesday, while another, whose charges were previously dropped, prepares to seek reimbursement from the state for his legal fees on June 18.

The remainder of the protesters will fight the charges against them during a joint hearing on June 11, which defence lawyer Osman Samin estimated could run for a month.

“Nothing like a good demonstration, eh?” Registrar James Wiseman quipped as the sheaf of cases hit his desk.

Recommendations for about six of the protesters to have their charges withdrawn are also under police review, according to their lawyer Nick Hanna.

“It is in our view completely inadequate,” he said outside court.

“The police response to that protest, which I think can fairly be described as one of the most brutal crackdowns on peaceful protesters we’ve seen in decades, is a stain on the state’s legacy.”

Dozens of protesters reported being beaten and pepper-sprayed by officers during the clash, while police drew criticism for shoving a group of Muslim worshippers performing the sunset prayer.

“People (were) being indiscriminately pepper-sprayed, pushed to the ground, assaulted, being punished while their arms behind their back,” Mr Hanna said.

One of the protesters who faced court on Wednesday, Wenzel Auch, said he still feels impacted by police actions at the rally.

“They started pushing people, pepper-spraying, and there’s lots of vulnerable people in the crowd … (including) a mother with a baby”, the 33-year-old told reporters.

“It was a very violent thing to watch.”

An independent probe is investigating incidents of alleged police misconduct at the rally.

Supporters for the activists had rallied outside the courthouse earlier in the morning to demand the charges be withdrawn.

“A law is found to be unconstitutional, and yet the NSW Police act with a level of arrogance that they continue to pursue charges and intimidate activists,” NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong told the crowd.

Adorning the rally was a banner reading “globalise the intifada”, a slogan NSW Premier Chris Minns previously indicated he would seek to ban.

However, he later declared he would wait to see if a Queensland prohibition on the chant “from the river to the sea” survived a legal challenge before taking that step.

By: Will Nicholas/AAP