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Extinction Rebellion protesters subject to bail conditions 'designed for bikie gangs'
Protesters arrested as part of the Extinction Rebellion have been told not to attend any further demonstrations organised by the group and have been ordered not to go within 2.5 kilometres radius of the Sydney CBD.
Some of the 44 protesters arrested this week, including former Greens senator Scott Ludlam, claim to have suffered injuries and say they were asked to sign bail conditions "designed for bikie gangs".
Lily Campbell being arrested on Monday.Credit: Dean Sewell
NSW Police did not comment on injuries caused to protesters and said it "does not comment on individual bail conditions". Police have said that the alleged offences committed "range from obstruct traffic to disobey reasonable direction".
A Western Sydney University academic says he was taken to hospital in the back of a police van on Monday after suffering wrist and arm injuries when officers dragged him off Parramatta Road during a climate change protest.
Martin Wolterding said he was taken to hospital after suffering arm and torso injuries while being removed from a protest by police.Credit: Pallavi Singhal
Martin Wolterding, 75, said he was not resisting police and offered to walk off the road himself.
"I was lying there quietly and peacefully on Parramatta Road and police told me I had to move on," Mr Wolterding said.
"When I remained silent, they picked me up and dragged me back with my arms in what they call a wrist lock and the pain was intense, and they continued to do that even though I told them I would walk. When I got to the police van, my arm started to swell up ... and they took me to hospital because they thought they might have broken my arm."
President of the NSW Civil Liberties Council Pauline Write said the bail conditions that the protesters were asked to sign were more commonly imposed on bikie gangs and those on terrorism charges.
"They're disproportionate to the gravity of the offences with which these people were charged, which would carry a small fine if not a section 10 dismissal," Ms Wright said.
She said it would also be difficult to identify other members of the large protest group in order to not associate with them.
"These people are also required to go into Downing Centre Court, which is in the Sydney CBD, so they'll have to breach the bail conditions to come to court or obey them by not going to court and face having a warrant issued for their arrest," Ms Wright said.
Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said police respected the right of individuals and groups to protest, but "we have a responsibility to the community and local businesses to ensure they can go about their normal activities".
“Anyone who chooses to flout the rules and cause trouble should expect to feel the full force of the law," he said.
Lily Campbell, a 22-year-old student at the University of Sydney, said she was held in police custody for 27 hours after refusing to sign the bail conditions.
"I was kept in a police cell for 27 hours and was offered no food for the first 17 hours in custody and police tried to force me to sign onerous bail conditions that were designed for bikie gangs," Ms Campbell said.
NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge said police were using "pain management techniques to cause deliberate harm".
"We all understand police have a job to do but it does not involve causing unnecessary pain and injury to protesters who were not resisting," Mr Shoebridge said.
"We haven't before seen these kinds of excessive bail conditions being imposed upon people simply for disobeying police when they gave a traffic direction."