Wild scenes as Jewish man displaying Australian flag is arrested for ‘breaching the peace’ at a pro-Palestine protest
Stunning images of an Orthodox Jewish man holding an Australian flag being arrested after allegedly confronting pro-Palestinian protesters have sparked outrage.
Osher Feldman was arrested on Sunday for breaching the peace in Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD, where 10,000 pro-Palestinian supporters attended a rally.
He was filmed being escorted from the scene by police officers shortly after the protest concluded on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the start of the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.
Mr Feldman became visibly upset when his yarmulke fell off his head as he was led away to a police van surrounded by half a dozen officers, who repeatedly said: ‘Where’s my cap, I need it on my head.’
He was also heard telling police to “stop touching me.”
Mr Feldman later turned to X to confirm he was the man in the footage obtained by Sky News as he condemned the police’s actions.
‘Unfortunately this is me. My ‘crime’ was waving an Australian flag in Australia,” he wrote.
‘The police ‘let’ me in, but insisted on escorting me ‘for my safety’. I have not had any arguments or confrontations with anyone.
The arrest of Osher Feldman (pictured center), who carried an Australian flag during a pro-Palestinian protest on Sunday, has outraged the Jewish community.
‘Then out of nowhere they ‘detained’ me and dragged me out of the park like an animal. They didn’t even ask me to leave.’
He accused police of using “ridiculous excessive force” and dragging him “like an animal.”
“They also refused to put my yarmulke back on when it fell off due to their physical abuse,” he added.
‘I’m shocked, but I won’t be intimidated. I am a proud Australian Jew.”
NSW Police did not respond specifically to Mr Feldman’s claims when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
“A man has been arrested by NSW Police in Hyde Park for disturbing the peace,” a spokesperson said.
“He was released outside the park area without charge.”
Mr. Feldman said that he ‘shocked, shocked and shocked’.
‘I also feel physically unwell when I’m pushed into a scalding hot van to the station for no reason.’
The incident also angered the Australian Jewish Association (AJA).
“The man in the video … is an active member of the Orthodox Jewish community in Sydney,” AJA president Dr David Adler told Daily Mail Australia.
Mr Feldman (pictured) was arrested on Sunday for breaching the peace in Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD, where 10,000 pro-Palestinian supporters attended a rally
Mr Feldman wrote about his experiences in a post on social media site
“It appears his only ‘crime’ was waving an Australian flag near Hamas and Hezbollah supporters in Sydney’s CBD.”
Dr. Adler said Mr. Feldman did not get into an argument with anyone.
NSW Police, instead of protecting him, decided to ‘detain’ him and remove him for his own safety.
‘Once again we see that the police are not concerned with the actual threat of potentially violent demonstrators, but remove a peaceful Jewish man.
“We have seen this before when another Jewish man was removed from Sydney’s townhome precinct on October 9 last year.”
Through such arrests, the AJA president has ‘effectively handed control of Sydney’s streets to an extremist gang and, not for the first time, has turned parts of Sydney into a ‘no go zone for law-abiding citizens’.
Dr. Adler added that there are “increasing concerns within the Jewish community about the inability of police to protect the usual expected rights of a healthy liberal democracy, but rather allow aggressive disruptors to rule the streets.”
NSW Police confirmed a man, 28, was detained on Elizabeth Street for alleged breach of the peace.
“The man was taken to Day Street Police Station where he was spoken to and released.”
Another man was arrested for allegedly holding a sign with the Nazi swastika replacing the Star of David on the Israeli flag.
A second man was arrested for allegedly holding a sign with the Nazi swastika (pictured) replacing the Star of David on the Israeli flag
NSW Police said a 56-year-old man was arrested at about 1.20pm for allegedly displaying a swastika symbol.
“He was taken to Surry Hills Police Station where he was charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public without reasonable excuse.”
Despite the arrests, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said police were generally satisfied with the behavior of the estimated crowd of 10,000 people.
“NSW Police worked closely with our partner agencies and protest organizers to conduct an important and robust policing operation in Sydney’s CBD, which clearly had a successful outcome,” he said.