Beloved Sydney icon Danny Lim is in hospital after cops tried to arrest him in the city’s Queen Victoria Building. NSW Police has since launched an independent review to investigate the incident.
A video of the attempted arrest was posted on Twitter, showing Lim appearing to fall headfirst into the tiled ground of the QVB while police were holding his arms.
While he was lying on the floor, police handcuffed him and then sat him up. Blood from Lim’s head injury could be seen on the floor.
The Guardian journalist Tamsin Rose shared the shocking video, which was taken by a witness.
A witness took this video of Danny Lim being handcuffed by officers in the CBD this morning. pic.twitter.com/zcq4zCarfU
— Tamsin Rose (@tamsinroses) November 22, 2022
Lim is a 78-year-old man. He’s known around Sydney for his sandwich-board protest signs, which often feature the phrase “CVN’T”.
Lawyer Chris Murphy tweeted a picture of Lim in hospital, where his head injury is visible. According to Murphy’s Twitter, there is some bleeding on his brain which is being monitored overnight.
He is apparently set to be assessed by a neurosurgeon in the morning.
Lim spoke to The Guardian from hospital. He claimed the police “smashed me on the concrete floor”.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“I told them I suffer from PTSD.”
In a media statement NSW Police said Lim was asked to leave the QVB by security and didn’t. Security then called the cops.
“Police will allege the man was subsequently issued with a move on direction and failed to comply,” the statement said.
“The man’s arrest was discontinued after he struggled with police and sustained an injury to his cheekbone.”
He was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital.
NSW Police has launched an independent review of the sitch. It will “examine the actions of police” during the aborted arrest. It will also review body cam footage too, according to 9News.
In 2019 Lim was arrested for “offensive behaviour” over one of his CVN’T signs. However, a judge later found that the sign was “provocative and cheeky but… not offensive”.
