Latest news with #Belmore
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Hannah Thomas hits out at ‘cowardly' cops after injury during protest arrest
A former Greens candidate who fears she may lose vision in her eye following an altercation with police says protesters will not be stopped by 'cowardly police' or governments. Hannah Thomas, formerly a Greens candidate in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's seat of Grayndler, participated at a protest outside SEC Plating in Belmore on June 27. Protesters alleged the company participated in the production of weapons components used by the Israel Defence Forces. The company has strongly denied the claims. Ms Thomas was arrested by NSW Police at the protest last month, and suffered an eye injury so severe she fears she may lose her vision. The former Greens candidate has issued a strong message to police at a protest in Sydney's Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon. 'You can send your cowardly police … and we still will not be afraid of you,' Ms Thomas said. 'I'd rather look in the mirror every day and see someone with one eye and a disfigured face than someone with no soul.' She addressed the crowd for about 10 minutes, wearing dark sunglasses and standing in front of both a Palestinian and a Lebanese flag. 'So to Albanse and to (Chris) Minns, we don't owe you respect, we do not owe you decorum, we owe the people of Gaza our resistance. '...We won't stop. 'You should be afraid of our movement, because we are not afraid of you.' Ms Thomas has already had surgery to recover from the injury to her eye, however she last week told 10 News+ she will have at least one more surgery. 'Even if I don't lose the eye, I don't know how much vision I'm getting back,' Ms Thomas told the program. 'I won't know for some months because I'll have at least one more surgery.' She was subsequently charged with hindering or resisting arrest and two counts of refusing to comply with all directions to disperse. NSW Police have since withdrawn a charge related to the rarely used emergency anti-protest powers introduced after the 2005 Cronulla riots. Ms Thomas entered pleas of not guilty to all three charges. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden earlier said he had viewed the video of Ms Thomas' arrest, and saw no evidence of misconduct by the officers. However, a critical incident was declared and the matter will be investigated by an independent police watchdog. At the federal election Ms Thomas received 25.1 per cent of the first preference votes, but was roundly defeated by the Prime Minister who took 53.5 per cent of first preferences. Since the defeat Ms Thomas has been employed as a media officer for the Greens. She recently told 10 News that the injury had affected her vision, and she could no long look at a screen for 'too long'. 'I don't know what happens with my career because of this injury.'
News.com.au
22-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘What was that?': Fresh details in Greens candidate's injury in protestarrest
Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has revealed new details about the moment she was seriously injured while being arrested during an anti-Israel protest. Ms Thomas said she didn't know how much vision – if any – she'd be able to recover after the incident left her with a serious injury to her eye. She had been was protesting outside SEC Plating in Belmore, Sydney on Friday June 27 when she was involved in an altercation with NSW Police. 'It all happened very fast,' Ms Thomas told 10 News+ on Tuesday. 'I remember feeling that impact to my head and just thinking, 'oh my God, what was that'? 'I just could not believe that I'd been punched. That level of force to my head. I just totally did not see it coming. Then I was dragged away to another point.' She said she then became worried about the injury to her eye. 'At that point I realised the extent, just because of the throbbing, and I was like, 'oh my face just does not feel normal',' she said. 'I think at that point I was already like, 'oh my God, I think my sight might be affected'.' Protesters claim SEC Plating provides components used in a class of jets operated by the Israeli Defence Force, these claims are strongly denied by the company. Ms Thomas denied doing anything to provoke the incident such as lashing out or spitting at officers and said the road to recovery remained a daunting prospect. 'Just complete shock. I think that I would have never expected that morning when I went to the protest, that would have been the outcome,' she said. 'Even if I don't lose the eye, I don't know how much vision I'm getting back. I won't know for some months because I'll have at least one more surgery.' Ms Thomas stood against the Prime Minister in his Sydney seat of Grayndler at the election earlier this year. Although unsuccessful, she is now employed as a media officer for the Greens party. 'I can't look at a screen for too long at the moment, I don't know what happens with my career because of this injury,' she said. Ms Thomas disagreed with the idea that by refusing move on orders from the police the protesters were putting themselves at risk and said real change was needed to prohibit similar incidents from occurring. 'I mean, I would disagree. I think protest is a fundamental right. And I think what makes us unsafe at protests are police. '[I would like to see] the charges against me dropped and I would like the officers involved to be charged and taken off duty. 'I think the level of violence towards protesters at the moment is escalated, and it's because [of the] anti-protest laws, which has really licensed police to crack down. 'I think if nothing changes, there'll be more injuries.' A critical incident team is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, and will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and oversighted by the LECC. Ms Thomas is due in court over the protest on August 12.
News.com.au
20-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘One of the bravest passes I've seen': Lachlan Galvin breaks down his match-winning play, opens up on the pressure since joining the Bulldogs
Lachlan Galvin is aware of the criticism that's followed his mid-season move to the Bulldogs, but he insists it won't affect him after he celebrated his move to halfback by throwing what his coach described as one of the 'bravest' passes he's seen to lift his side to a dramatic win over the Dragons. His move from the Wests Tigers dominated the news cycle, and it hasn't stopped since he arrived at Belmore with everyone fascinated by how Cameron Ciraldo would use him. He's started games on the bench, at five-eighth and even dropped out of the 17, but Galvin will be Canterbury's halfback for the rest of the year after showing signs that he is the trump card they've been missing in attack. He scored a try in the first half after he backed up a big break by Stephen Crichton, but it's what he did with the game on the line that justified the move to bring him in. With his side struggling to land the killer blow, Galvin drifted to the edge, waited for Tyrell Sloan to make a decision in defence and then fired a long ball over the top to rookie Jethro Rinakama to score the winner in the corner. Lachie Galvin turns match winner? The Bulldogs lead ðŸ'€ ðŸ'° Watch #NRLBulldogsDragons on Ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 19, 2025 'Natural instincts kicked in and I saw him come up and I just threw it,' he said after the game. 'No pressure (because) I put the work in at training, 'Ciro' and all the coaching staff and the boys have put trust in me. I'm always confident going out there. When I see it, I'm just going to throw it. 'I just saw it and took it, that's pretty much what I do. I saw the pass and I threw it. I'm always going to do that, I'm always going to back my instinct. That's just me. 'I just saw (Sloan) come out pretty early. He'd done it a few times before with kicks at the back. I thought I might as well just throw it. Lucky it paid off.' The pass could have easily been intercepted but Galvin didn't hesitate with the game on the line. 'To make that play at the end, it's possibly one of the bravest passes I've seen,' Ciraldo said, revealing Galvin had done more than enough to keep the No.7 jersey before he nailed the crucial play. 'We all know he's had pressure on him, so I can't rap him enough for how well he's handled it. 'To trust his instincts and to trust himself to make that play just shows everyone what we've been seeing for the past six weeks.' His position in the team and the effect it's had on other players has been questioned, with fellow spine members Reed Mahoney and Toby Sexton set to leave the club at the end of the year. Mahoney scored a try on Saturday night while Sexton played well in NSW Cup, with Galvin adamant the outside noise isn't getting to him as he looks to spend the next seven weeks developing his combination with halves partner Matt Burton. 'It is what it is, people are always going to have their opinions but I'm just going to keep working,' he said. 'I listen to the people inside the four walls at Belmore and that's Ciro and all the coaches and all the boys. I keep working hard and for it to pay off tonight and me to keep building for the rest of the year, that's all I'm going to do. 'I'm just here to learn. That's all I want to do. I'm only 20 years of age, I just want to keep building. I'll just keep learning and keep building. Ciro and all the assistants are doing that for me. '(Burton) is mad to play with, he's got such a strong running game so I'm just trying to free up space for him to use that. 'What I can do for him to get him the ball and get the strike players in our team the ball, that's what I'm going to do. I love playing with him. We're building a good bond now. He's real good out on the field. He talks well. I love him.' Crichton was impressed with what he saw from the 20-year-old and praised him for how he's handled a turbulent few months. 'He's been copping a lot ever since he came to the club, but we see in our four walls what he does at training,' he said. 'The confidence for him to throw that pass shows what type of player he is. We're happy he's at our club.'
The Australian
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
NRL 2025: Lachlan Galvin set to play halfback for the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are confident Lachlan Galvin has enough time to forge a potent halves combination with Matt Burton following confirmation that the mid-season recruit will make his first start at halfback for the club on Saturday night. The intrigue around Galvin's role in the team and how that's affected other players in the spine has been a major talking point ever since he arrived at Belmore. It hasn't helped that he's started two games at five-eighth and two on the bench, while Galvin – who turned 20 this week – was dropped from the 17 last week after initially being named on the bench for the match against the Cowboys. But the No.7 jersey is now his with Toby Sexton dropped from the halves for the game against the Dragons. It'll give Galvin two months to build his combination with Burton, who came up with some big plays in attack to help them sneak past the Cowboys. Lachlan Galvin was left off the bench for the Bulldogs last week, but he will start on Saturday at halfback. Picture:'It's up to the boys getting around him and giving him the confidence to do what he does best, and that's just play footy,' Bulldogs utility Jaeman Salmon said. 'The game will come if he plays his normal game, and we just have to give him the confidence to do that. 'We've still got a third of the season left and I think that's enough time to build a combination leading into the finals. 'As long as we all get around him, I'm sure he'll be fine.' Salmon said coach Cameron Ciraldo made the announcement at a 'stock standard' team meeting on Tuesday morning and the obsession around Canterbury's spine wasn't a factor internally. 'I think that's what the media portrayed. You guys have been waiting for it, but in here, we haven't been waiting for anything,' he said. 'Whoever the best player to do that job is going to play that position, and that's with all our positions. 'No one is ever safe. Whatever pick has been made is what's best for the team. Galvin has two months to work on his combinations before the finals start. Picture: NRL Photos 'Toby is a good mate of all of ours, but that's just part of the game. It's hard for him but we're all going to be there to support him. 'You wouldn't have even noticed that there's been stuff going on in the media about Lachie. 'He's just a young kid who wants to play footy. He's been handling it really well. He just wants to learn, and that's why we like him. He's just been a sponge since he got here and he just wants to soak it all up.' Edge forward Jacob Preston said he felt for Sexton and was confident that he and Galvin would gel on the right side in attack. The Bulldogs haven't been at their clinical best in attack since Galvin arrived, but the end of the State of Origin period should help as they spend the next eight weeks ensuring they're in the best position to contend for a title. 'Ever since he got here, we've been doing work. And we work all different halves,' Preston said. 'If we've ever had to change sides as well, we're making sure we get that done as well. The combinations are ready to go. ''Galvo' is incredibly talented, so he can create plenty of opportunities and we just have to react to that.'
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘No one is ever safe': Lachlan Galvin mystery finally solved with the Bulldogs recruit to replace Toby Sexton at halfback
The Bulldogs are confident Lachlan Galvin has enough time to forge a potent halves combination with Matt Burton following confirmation that the mid-season recruit will make his first start at halfback for the club on Saturday night. The intrigue around Galvin's role in the team and how that's affected other players in the spine has been a major talking point ever since he arrived at Belmore. It hasn't helped that he's started two games at five-eighth and two on the bench, while Galvin – who turned 20 this week – was dropped from the 17 last week after initially being named on the bench for the match against the Cowboys. But the No.7 jersey is now his with Toby Sexton dropped from the halves for the game against the Dragons. It'll give Galvin two months to build his combination with Burton, who came up with some big plays in attack to help them sneak past the Cowboys. 'It's up to the boys getting around him and giving him the confidence to do what he does best, and that's just play footy,' Bulldogs utility Jaeman Salmon said. 'The game will come if he plays his normal game, and we just have to give him the confidence to do that. 'We've still got a third of the season left and I think that's enough time to build a combination leading into the finals. 'As long as we all get around him, I'm sure he'll be fine.' Salmon said coach Cameron Ciraldo made the announcement at a 'stock standard' team meeting on Tuesday morning and the obsession around Canterbury's spine wasn't a factor internally. 'I think that's what the media portrayed. You guys have been waiting for it, but in here, we haven't been waiting for anything,' he said. 'Whoever the best player to do that job is going to play that position, and that's with all our positions. 'No one is ever safe. Whatever pick has been made is what's best for the team. 'Toby is a good mate of all of ours, but that's just part of the game. It's hard for him but we're all going to be there to support him. 'You wouldn't have even noticed that there's been stuff going on in the media about Lachie. 'He's just a young kid who wants to play footy. He's been handling it really well. He just wants to learn, and that's why we like him. He's just been a sponge since he got here and he just wants to soak it all up.' Edge forward Jacob Preston said he felt for Sexton and was confident that he and Galvin would gel on the right side in attack. The Bulldogs haven't been at their clinical best in attack since Galvin arrived, but the end of the State of Origin period should help as they spend the next eight weeks ensuring they're in the best position to contend for a title. 'Ever since he got here, we've been doing work. And we work all different halves,' Preston said. 'If we've ever had to change sides as well, we're making sure we get that done as well. The combinations are ready to go. ''Galvo' is incredibly talented, so he can create plenty of opportunities and we just have to react to that.'
