Israel supporter arrested at pro-Palestine rally in Sydney CBD

The man was arrested “to prevent a breach of the peace” after he showed up to support Israel at a pro-Palestine rally.

A man’s been arrested and led away by police “to prevent a breach of the peace” after he unfurled an Israeli flag at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney.

Hundreds of school students skipped on Friday to gather in front of Town Hall in an event organised by High Schoolers for Palestine and University of Sydney group Students for Palestine, with similar events held in Wollongong and Byron Bay.

The man arrived at the rally in support of Palestine brandishing the flag of Israel. Picture: Arkangel_Sydney / TikTok

A video from the rally, posted to social media platform TikTok, shows students chanting “From the river to the sea / Palestine will be free,” a rallying cry of Palestine supporters.

The camera pans from the students over to a small group of people on the fringe of the rally who clearly support Israel, with the man at the centre of the video standing and brandishing an Israeli flag while he argues with a NSW Police officer.

Officers asked the man to put his flag away, which he refused to do. Picture: Arkangel_Sydney / TikTok

“Have you got your body camera on?” he asks the officer, who repeatedly tries to de-escalate the situation.

“I’m not putting it down,” he tells the officer, before the video cuts to a short time later when the group of pro-Palestine students has turned to begin chanting in his direction.

Police and media camera operators can be seen standing between the two groups, before the flag-bearing man begins repeatedly asking the officer “Am I under arrest?”

The situation escalated when the man was lead away from the main protest group. Picture: Arkangel_Sydney / TikTok

Another officer steps in and forcibly moves the man away from the main protest, before the shot cuts to the man demanding the original officer take his hands off his wrist, as he points in the officer’s face.

The man struggles and other officers step in, walking him further away. They can all be seen talking some distance away, while the man tries to film on his phone as the video ends.

He could be seen speaking with officers and trying to film them. Picture: Arkangel_Sydney / TikTok

“Around 1.30pm … officers from the Central Metropolitan Region were facilitating a high-visibility operation at a public assembly at Town Hall, to ensure a peaceful demonstration,” NSW Police said in a statement.

“Officers observed a man approaching the large group carrying a flag.

“The 49-year-old was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and was taken to Day Street Police Station.”

It’s unclear at the time of writing if he’s been charged with any alleged offence.

The arrest comes after tense clashes between protesters on both sides of the Middle East conflict and police in recent weeks.

In a similar incident, another man waving an Israeli flag had to be removed by police after a pro-Palestine rally held outside Sydney Opera House in early October, just days after a Hamas raid on Israeli settlements escalated the conflict between the two nations.