Police broke spine of anti-genocide pensioner

Earlier, Skwawkbox reported on Australian police officers’ vicious beating of a restrained and helpless anti-genocide protester. The beating came as police attacked protesters demonstrating peacefully against a visit by war-criminal Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

The attack was not an isolated incident. In yet another assault, police fractured the spine of 69-year-old Jann Alhafny. The Australian government has given police immunity from legal consequences.

Describing the incident, Alhafny said that an officer had pushed her “very violently” to the ground “without warning” as she protested in Sydney – but worse was to come:

I knew straight away I’d hurt my back [but the officer] grabbed one arm and he yanked me up onto my feet, like really severely, and that was excruciating.

Moving someone who has suffered a spinal injury at all, let alone “really severely”, can result in permanent paralysis or even death. Doctors later found that Alhafny had four fractured vertebrae. New South Wales Police denied any knowledge.

But police knew they were able to act with impunity. NSW authorities had designated the area a “major event”, giving police and the state immunity from ‘tortious acts’ that cause injury. It appears that state enforcers made full use of this immunity: the march of around 30,000 was kettled and pepper sprayed as well as being beaten.

Alhafny, whose late husband was Palestinian, said she and her daughter would not be deterred from anti-genocide protests:

We always go to the protest, my daughter and I, and it’s just the right thing to do. Even if my husband wasn’t Palestinian, I’d still be supporting Palestine.

Featured image via the Canary