Police have been accused of excessive force dealing with a rowdy drunken Christmas party involving thousands of backpackers on a Sydney beach.
Concern over police conduct has been raised after a video showed a male police officer violently pushing several women to the ground, two of whom landed on hard road.
According to media reports, some party goers then threw bottles at police.
Two women have been arrested – an Irish and a British national – and they will face court next month. Police allege the women threw bottlers at the police officers.
Police have rejected claims they used excessive force on aggressive backpackers, during a drunken Christmas party in Sydney's south. @Zara_James9 #9News pic.twitter.com/ayel4lV8bI
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) December 26, 2017
The incident occurred after some 3,000 rowdy party goers were asked to leave Little Bay beach in Sydney’s south east. The beach is a non-alcoholic drinking zone and the event was also unauthorized.
Party goer, Becky Brown said the event on the beach wasn’t ‘out of hand’ until the police arrived.
“I witnessed with my own eyes a police man push and punch a girl in the face then pepper spray her!!” Brown wrote on Facebook.
“That’s why they had two bottles of alcohol thrown at them, not one of the bottles hit the policemen. I can’t believe how this has been portrayed. Police are supposed to make you feel safe and protected,” she said.
She added that she had never been as scared as she was when the “police were punching girls and rugby tackling them!”
Police are denying they used excessive force, to move on thousands of backpackers who decided to celebrate Christmas in Little Bay. @nswpolice officers had bottles thrown at them trying to break up the crowd. @laurakatebanks #LittleBay #7News pic.twitter.com/xzxF17Nv53
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 26, 2017
Other party goers said police used batons and pepper spray on the party goers.
Police have denied the use of inappropriate force.
“My officers were on the receiving end of some alcohol-fueled violence and it was dealt with swiftly in order to bring the matter under control,” Superintendent Karen McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday.
“The people at the party were intoxicated, they were obviously in a festive mood and the majority of people were compliant with police actions, however, there was a small, isolated incident,” said McCarthy.
She said that three police officers were injured.
Little Bay: Three police officers injured trying to breakup party. "I would like to see council…agree to allow young people to have a beach party on Christmas Day…gently policing it from a distance…let the young people have fun" – Peter Fagan Report on 7 News at 6pm. #7News pic.twitter.com/2wGB4s5o10
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 26, 2017
Local resident Mark Rear, who watched things get out of hand, blamed it on alcohol.
“People were throwing beer bottles and everything. The cops were getting into-it with the pepper spray. It was just crazy. Weirdest thing that I’ve ever seen at Little Bay,” Rear said.
But he said there was no real violence until the police got out their pepper spray and started using their dogs.
“And that’s when the mood just switched. It was like night and day. They turned pretty ugly pretty quick, both parties and it wasn’t very nice at all,” he said.
It took five council workers three hours to clean up the mess the party goers left on the beach, reported 7 News.
Quick action from @nswpolice helped shut down a drunken beach party of 3,000 backpackers yesterday at Little Bay Beach. A big thank you to local residents and Council workers who cleared 40 bags of rubbish incl broken bottles in just a few hours. Info: https://t.co/WNjnwiBdOX pic.twitter.com/vJthUXVU04
— Randwick Council (@RandwickCouncil) December 26, 2017
From NTD.tv
