Australian politician may go blind in 1 eye after pro-Palestinian protest

Hannah Thomas was among about 60 people who had protested against an Australian company for supplying parts to Israel’s military

Australian politician Hannah Thomas could lose vision in her right eye after she sustained injuries during her arrest at a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney, as police launched an investigation into the incident following uproar over alleged excessive use of force.

Thomas, the daughter of former Malaysian attorney general Tommy Thomas, was among a group of about 60 people who gathered outside SEC Plating, an Australian provider of electroplating services, last Friday. They did not get prior approval from the authorities to hold the protest at the company’s premises.

The demonstrators accused the company of supplying parts to the Israeli military, which is involved in a bombing campaign in Gaza.

They later scuffled with officers, and New South Wales police arrested Thomas and four others.

She was charged with resisting arrest and refusing to comply with officers.

The Greens politician, who contested against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May’s general election, was later taken to a hospital and underwent surgery.

According to national broadcaster ABC, Thomas was hit in the face when officers attempted to get her onto her feet.

“I was engaged in peaceful protests and my interactions with NSW police have left me potentially without vision in my right eye permanently,” she said in a video posted on social media on Sunday.

Thomas also criticised the state administration, accusing it of passing “draconian” anti-protest laws that police used to quell a “peaceful protest in extremely violent, brutal ways”.

“The 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,” she said, adding that the demonstration would continue despite her arrest.

Thomas is scheduled to appear at a local court on August 12.

The investigation into the violent melee would be overseen by the state’s police watchdog, a decision Greens MP Sue Higginson welcomed but said it was the “bare minimum requirement”.

“It’s important to remember people do not need authorisation to hold a protest. To do so would mean we really do live in a police state,” she told ABC. “The actions of the NSW police can only be described as brutal and excessive.”

Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said a review of body camera footage did not show “any misconduct on behalf of my officers”.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke blamed protesters for ignoring police orders to disperse.

“The issue of the injury will be dealt with by the police review but for anyone wanting to have a protest, you know, no one’s above the law,” he told Sky News.

Some social media users rallied behind Thomas for being “brave”, saying “peaceful protesters were punished, while war crimes went unchecked”.

The activist-politician’s father was Malaysia’s attorney general when former prime minister Najib Razak was first charged in 2018 in connection with the 1MDB corruption scandal.

Australia has seen a string of pro-Palestinian protests in recent months, while the country’s Jewish and Muslim organisations have recorded a rise in hate-fuelled incidents targeting both groups since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel.

Israel’s retaliatory bombings have killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run enclave’s health ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 7 after Washington urged its ally to end the conflict.