The collapse of a man who had a prior heart condition during an arrest made for not wearing a mask led to unrest in the streets of Western Sydney. Video footage of the incident that emerged on social media shows the man lying on the ground in a medical emergency situation.
Lockdown Under: Australian cops violently accost man w/apparent heart condition for not wearing a mask at a mall, triggering a medical episode.
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 11, 2021
The man is now charged with “intimidating an officer” https://t.co/OWemsLVTVm pic.twitter.com/W8DxkZyYbb
Reportedly, the police were warned in advance that the man in question suffered from seizures. It was seen that the man was also handcuffed when he was lying on the ground suffering from a sudden seizure.
However, the officers removed the handcuffs at the request of a crowd that had gathered while the man was given chest compressions by a doctor from the Base Hill Medical Centre.
People who were present were shocked and enraged by the incident and the riot police was sent keep things under control.
A man who witnessed the scene cried out, “Look at him, he might be dead” and then again, “You’re not helping anyone in this country,”. There was another man who shouted “He’s a big criminal who has a heart disease and doesn’t have a mask on.” The 25-year-old man was supposedly accused of not wearing a mask, attacking a police officer, resisting arrest and carrying a knife. The Bankstown Police had reportedly caught the man for not wearing a mask near the Bass Hill Plaza on Thursday afternoon.
This particular arrest which resulted in a medical emergency was not a one-off incident. There was another such case that took place in August where a man in Brisbane had suffered a heart attack during a similar arrest made for not wearing a mask.
Lockdown Under: Australian cops violently accost man w/apparent heart condition for not wearing a mask at a mall, triggering a medical episode.
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 11, 2021
The man is now charged with “intimidating an officer” https://t.co/OWemsLVTVm pic.twitter.com/W8DxkZyYbb
A South Australian informed journalist Max Blumenthal, “We cannot travel more than 5 km from our homes, we have restricted time frames on exercise and there is pervading police presence monitoring us daily to ensure compliance. People are frustrated, angry, anxious and scared.” and further added “…Cops are on a power trip. I’ve been in my local park and witnessed police intimidating mums with small children because they are not wearing a mask. Cops can and should use discretion, yet they target unnecessarily innocent citizens in outdoor spaces trying to survive daily.”
A S. Australia resident wrote me the following: “We cannot travel more than 5 km from our homes, we have restricted time frames on exercise and there is pervading police presence monitoring us daily to ensure compliance. People are frustrated, angry, anxious and scared.” cont’d
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 11, 2021
There were widespread protests across Australia last month where the police had to use tear gas and rubber bullets when thousands of people took to the streets despite of the strict lockdown imposed. There was violence in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
France also witnessed similar protests in July and outrage against the Covid lockdowns and a violent reaction against Macron’s Covid measures . The French police there used tear gas, smoke bombs and water cannons against the violent violent protesters.
