Danny Lim ‘unable to speak properly’ after suffering brain injury from NSW Police arrest
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An iconic Sydney activist is left speechless after suffering brain damage in a violent ‘unprovoked’ arrest.
Danny Lim, 78 – famous for walking around Sydney with sandwich-style signs urging people to ‘smile’ – was forced to the ground by two NSW police officers at the city’s Queen Victoria Building shortly before 11am on Tuesday.
The incident was caught on camera by a shocked bystander. Police ‘dropped’ their arrest after Mr Lim’s head smashed into the tiled floor, leaving him with a black eye and a bloodied cheek.
Mr. Lim, who weighs only 50 kg, was then rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital. Daily Mail Australia can reveal he has been unable to communicate properly since the injury – a common symptom of severe brain trauma.
Sydney activist Danny Lim, 78, suffered brain damage after a violent arrest in the CBD’s Queen Victoria Building (pictured, Mr Lim immediately after the arrest)
Mr Lim suffered a ‘subdural hematoma’, a bruise between the skull and the surface of the brain, when he hit his head during the arrest (pictured, Mr Lim in hospital on Tuesday)
Mr Lim has been diagnosed with a ‘subdural hematoma’ – a bruise between the surface of the brain and the skull.
High-profile lawyer Chris Murphy backs Mr Lim, saying he was in a ‘very bad state’ and was ‘unable to communicate clearly’.
Mr Murphy said Mr Lim was walking down a corridor connecting the QVB to City Hall train station as the arrest unfolded.
‘You can see his Opal (transport) card next to him.
He walked to the town hall station on his way home but stopped at a phone shop because he knew the owner,” Murphy told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He’s a talker, he wanted to talk!
“The owner was serving a customer, so Mr.
Lim was waiting outside when the police arrived.”
Video captured by witnesses shows Mr Lim struggling with police before falling and hitting his head against the tiles (above)
Criminal defense attorney Chris Murphy said Mr. Lim was waiting to talk to a friend when police told him to leave the building (pictured, Mr. Murphy on the left and Mr. Lim on the right)
Murphy said several shop owners witnessed the incident and lawyers said Mr Lim was never asked to leave by anyone close to the phone shop.
“A woman was very upset and filmed it,” he said.
“They all say that the way the police harassed him was unnecessary. He was on his way home, he was harmless.’
Mr. Lim has become a beloved figure in town and is known for wearing signs proclaiming peace, love and happiness with the support of his 17-year-old Chihuahua Pomeranian pet, Smarty.
He has had a unique presence in the city for several years and is often greeted with high-fives and selfies wherever he goes.
An expert who analyzed the footage of Mr Lim’s arrest claims it shows one of the officers deliberately moving his leg and dropping the elder.
Photos from the scene of the arrest show Mr Lim’s retirement Opal travel card among his scattered belongings (above)
Mr Lim’s ‘finished’ arrest took place in the corridor connecting the QVB to the City Hall train station (pictured, a map of the City Hall station with the corridor at the top left)
The scathing clip shows Mr. Lim attempting to charge ahead away from the arrest while calling for help, while the officer on his left extends a leg in front of him, causing him to stumble.
“Sweeping that leg was very dangerous,” is the expert insight revealed to Daily Mail Australia.
“They both had his arms so he couldn’t break his fall. They didn’t try to save his fall either.’
The move is reportedly part of standard police procedure.
Mr Murphy said Mr Lim is in a ‘very bad condition’ and ‘unable to communicate clearly’.
“Two people from my office are at the hospital with him,” he said.
‘He’s so small, he only weighs about 100 pounds.
“The police have released this story of a mean man. Every time I met him I felt happy.’
Mr. Lim (pictured at Town Hall train station on Saturday) is famous in Sydney for his sandwich-style signs that spread messages of love, happiness and peace
An expert who analyzed footage of Mr Lim’s arrest claims it shows an officer deliberately tripping the elder (above)
NSW Police released a statement on Tuesday evening saying Mr Lim’s arrest will be investigated.
“An independent inquiry will investigate police action during the arrest of a 78-year-old man in Sydney’s CBD earlier today,” the statement said.
Shortly before 11am, officers from the Sydney City Police Area Command were called by security to a George Street shopping mall after a man failed to leave the building when asked.
“Police will claim that the man was then ordered to go by officers and disobeyed.
“While the investigation into the incident continues, an independent review has begun, which will examine police conduct during the incident.”
A spokesperson for NSW Police added on Wednesday: ‘The case has been treated as a complaint and assigned to an investigator from another command within the central metropolitan region.
“In accordance with the NSW Police Force Company Policy on Complaint Handling and Management, the internal investigation will be overseen by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.”
Mr Lim was pictured in his hospital bed on Tuesday afternoon with a bleeding cheek and his famous smile.
Mr. Lim (pictured with his dog, Smarty) was left with a black eye, a cut on his cheek and severe brain damage from the arrest
WHO IS DANNY LIM?
Mr Lim says he was orphaned when he was just five months old and was raised by his Chinese grandmother in a small village about 90 km away from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
As a member of a Chinese ethnic minority, Mr. Lim grew up surrounded by racism and institutionalized discrimination.
He moved to Summer Hill in Sydney on a student visa in 1963, only to find himself again surrounded by racist views.
Mr. Lim studied and worked as an electrical engineer before retiring at the age of 59 to pursue a career in politics.
In 2003 he was elected to Strathfield council and just a year later, in 2004, he staged his first-ever sandwich board protest amid a corruption scandal.
It said, ‘Strathfield Council, have some morals! Stand up!’
He served as a councilman for eight years and resigned in 2011 after a series of controversies led to voters threatening him and his pup Smarty, then six years old.
During his tenure, he introduced more than 100 motions, becoming the first council member in more than 120 years to win a no-confidence motion against the mayor and face 18 violation of conduct claims.
He also infamously won the Sexist Remarks Ernie Award for telling a judge to buy a vibrator so she could “stop fucking the people of Strathfield and fuck herself instead.”
In 2016, he attempted to revive his political career by running for the federal senate.
By this time, Mr. Lim was a familiar face in Sydney and known for his signs advocating love, peace and smiles.
His campaign focused on “welfare, not warfare,” claiming that everyone should have a “fair go, fair dinkum.”
Mr Lim has had several run-ins with Sydney police.
In January 2019, he was arrested for carrying a sign that read ‘SMILE CVN’T! WHY CVN’T’ but was cleared of charges after a judge found his sign was brutal, but not illegal.
sources: junkie, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph