Key facts
- Eyad Shadid alleges he was assaulted, battered, and falsely imprisoned by NSW police at a protest.
- He claims an officer punched him and twisted his wrist while he was trying to protect praying Muslim men.
- Shadid was arrested and charged, but the charges were later dropped by NSW police.
- He is suing NSW police for misfeasance in public office and malicious prosecution.
- Shadid seeks damages for alleged abuse of police powers and prosecution for exercising democratic rights.
A Palestinian Australian man, Eyad Shadid, is suing New South Wales police, alleging he was assaulted, battered, and falsely imprisoned during a protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog on February 9. Shadid, 26, claims that while trying to prevent police from harassing Muslim men who were praying, an officer, Const Daniel Stewart, dragged him to the ground, punched him in the face, and twisted his wrist.
According to Shadid's statement of claim filed in the NSW district court, he requested officers stop their advance because men were praying. He alleges Stewart deliberately omitted this fact and falsely claimed Shadid threatened him. Shadid asserts this was a dishonest attempt to portray the prayer as a ploy to frustrate officers.
Shadid was arrested and charged with failing to comply with a police direction and resisting arrest. However, NSW police dropped these charges in May, with the police prosecutor agreeing that officers had not given Shadid a move-on direction. Three other protesters also had their charges withdrawn, and over 20 are due to face a joint trial in mid-2027.
Shadid, who works in social services and is of Palestinian descent, is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages. His legal team argues the case involves "very troubling allegations of police misconduct" and an "oppressive abuse of police powers," asserting he was prosecuted for exercising his democratic right to peaceful protest. He stated that media reports after his arrest led to lost business clients.
NSW police had previously confirmed that the prayer had been authorised but the message was not passed to frontline officers. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised for any offence caused. NSW Premier Chris Minns stated after the rally that police were in an "impossible situation" due to protesters defying public assembly restrictions, and declined to apologise for police conduct. The law used to restrict the assembly was later found unconstitutional by the state's court of appeal.