The two men who had an altercation with a police horse during yesterday’s anti-lockdown protest in Sydney have been found and charged.
Yesterday, 3500 mostly maskless idiots took to the streets to protest against the current lockdown rules in the Greater Sydney area.
During the protest, a viral photo surfaced of what appeared to be a maskless protester ‘punching’ a police horse. However, a closer look at video footage of the incident suggests it was more of an altercation than a punch. In a statement shared this morning about the two men involved being charged, NSW Police said “police horses were struck and pushed.”
In response to the protest, police ran a “high-visibility policing operation” and established the Strike Force Seasoned, a task force of 22 detectives to investigate the identity of people who committed offences associated with the unauthorised protest and breach of Public Health Orders.
“As a result of inquiries, investigators from Strike Force Seasoned attended a unit on Marlborough Street, Surry Hills, about 11:20pm (Saturday 24 July 2021), and arrested a 33-year-old man,” NSW Police said in a statement.
The 33-year-old man was taken to Kings Cross Police Station and charged with affray, joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, committing an act of cruelty upon an animal, and not complying with the noticed direction regarding COVID-19.
“Another man, aged 36, was arrested at a house in Kalang Road, Edensor Park. He was taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with assault officer in execution of duty, commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, not comply with noticed direction re 7/8/9 – COVID-19.”
The two men were refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Local Court later today.
NSW Police charged 57 attendees and issued 90 fines during yesterday’s protest. Police Minister David Elliot, who called those who attended “very selfish boofheads”, hopes to give out 3500 infringement notices.
“I’m hoping we issue 3500 infringement notices, I’m hoping we have people before the courts,” Elliott said on Saturday, via Sydney Morning Herald. “If you don’t want to be in lockdown, obey the rules.”
Speaking at today’s NSW press conference, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said law enforcement issued 510 personal infringement notices in the last 24 hours.
It is believed that there were 3500 people in attendance, including the not-so-genius TikTok guy who claimed he could predict the daily local cases of COVID-19 in NSW before NSW Health.
