What we do
Human Rights Monitors attend protests to collect evidence of illegal or improper activity by the police. An example of a protest we attended which attracted unsatisfactory policing was the Climate Camp protest at Newcastle on 13-14 July 2008. The aimi of the protest was to stop coal trains entering and leaving Newcastle. More information about the Camp can be found at http://www.climatecamp.org.au/
Police declare Cronulla riot powers
Policing for the protest was heavy, with large numbers of police occupying the train lines which were the subject of the protest.
Human Rights Monitors reported there concerns with the high number of reported arrests and the first use of "Cronulla riot powers" at a political protest. These powers, Part 6A of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002, all police to set-up cordons, demand names and addresses with power of arrest for refusing to reply, conduct random searches and to detain people within specified areas for up to 48 hours.
Human Rights Monitors at work
Human Rights Monitors were invited by protest organisers to attend the protest and over a dozen volunteers were present on the day. Working in pairs and wearing identifying vests, we worked with other lawyers and law students who also offered support to protesters on the day.
Heavy policing
We took detailed notes of police actions on the day, as well as taking photographs and video of police officers. We noted that protesters were often pushed by police for no clear reason and without verbal warning. In this photo, a police office (facing camera) is caught pushing a protester from behind.
...and more unwelcome contact
Similar touchings and pushing occured throughout the protest, for no obvious reason.
Horses
Human Rights Monitors liaiised with journalists who were present, and we expressed our concern at the use of horses which, as animals, are unpredictable and can step on people's feed. We were also able to explain legal provisions to journalists, such as the "Cronulla Riot Powers," as the police on the ground often do not understand these powers, or explaing them in insufficient detail to attending journalists.
Badgeless police
A continuing concern of Human Rights Monitors are those police who fail to wear identification, thus frustrating the ability to make legitimate complaints. The practice of the police in the past has been to say that it has too many officers to identify someone from provided photographs, and this approach has not been commented upon publicly by the NSW Ombudsman's Office. It is a breach of the promise made by the NSW Police Commissioner after APEC in 2007 that police at protest events would always be wearing appropriate identification. Pictured is a member of the Public Order and Riot Squad at the main Newcastle protest who has no identification in the plastic holder (on his right).
...and another
Mounted police officer not wearing identification. A senior police officer physcially pushed the Human Rights Monitor who took this photo away for taking a photograph of this officer.
and another.
Human Rights Monitors observed about 5 other officers not wearing identification during the protest. The wearing of identification is a requirement of the Police Manual.
A police spokeswoman later denied that police were not wearing identification.
More Information
More information about the protest can be found at the protest website www.climatecamp.org.au
Also see Protest halts coal train for six hours by Ben Cubby Sydney Morning Herald 14 July 2008 and Protesters Stop Coal-loading again in The Australian 14 July 2008.
Police overstep their powers at protest, letter to the editor by Simon Etherington, Sydney Morning Herald 15 July 2008.
Video clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVlY8SJuYBo
Police horses can move suddenly, thus posing a risk to protesters and bystanders. Human Rights Monitors calls for horses not to be used at protests. See especially the last 20 seconds of video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-XIWg-Plp0
Petty harassment. Police confiscating oranges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3ZaRbLdo8I
Pushing protesters, touching, for no apparent reason.
Also worthwhile to visit http://www.engagemedia.org/ and do a search under "climate camp".
Complaint to Ombudsman regarding emergency lock down powers by NSW Police (followed by Ombudsman's refusal to accept the complaint).
A 13-page letter to the NSW Ombudsman's office was dismissed as providing insufficient details for the NSW Ombudsman to accept the complaint. The letter of complaint and Ombudsman's reply are reproduced below.
| camp_complaint.pdf | |
| File Size: | 229 kb |
| File Type: | |
| ombudsmans_response.doc | |
| File Size: | 30 kb |
| File Type: | doc |