Former Greens employee Hayden Williams guilty of striking female cop in Invasion Day march

EXCLUSIVE: A radical left-wing activist has been convicted of assaulting a female cop who was filming an “invasion day” rally in which one protester tried to burn the Australian flag

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A RADICAL left-wing activist has been convicted of assaulting a female police officer during an “invasion day” rally in which one protester tried to burn the Australian flag.

Former paid Greens ­employee Hayden Williams, 20, was arrested after hitting the officer who was trying to film a violent melee in the middle of the protest on Austral greensia Day in January.

The scuffle erupted after a man carrying lighter fluid and a flag, knelt down over an Australian flag. Officers rushed in with fire extinguishers. During the commotion, Redfern Constable Amy Lowe was struck in the arm.

“Whilst I was recording I felt a hard strike to my left arm,” Const Lowe wrote in a statement.

Hayden Williams was convicted of assault and pleaded guilty to damaging a handy cam.

“I observed the accused, Hayden Williams, swinging his arms and turning around.”

Williams, who was understood at the time to be a member of the party’s left-wing splinter group Left Renewal, was convicted of the assault charge last month and pleaded guilty to damaging the handycam after it was knocked out of Const Lowe’s hand. A third charge of resisting arrest was dismissed.

He was due to be sentenced at Downing Centre Local Court yesterday but the case was adjourned.

A member of Fighting In Resistance Equally, which ­organised the protest, described Williams as a “rich kid” who had “attended a couple of meetings”.

He is due to be sentenced on September 14.