Police sprayed us, say protesters at Christopher Pyne event

STUDENTS say police pepper-sprayed protesters outside a Sydney event today. One of them was legally blind.

STUDENTS say police pepper-sprayed them during a protest outside an event attended by federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne in Sydney today.

One of the students was legally blind.

Just spoke to a legally blind student pepper sprayed by police at the Pyne protest. She didn't know where they were till they sprayed her

— Max Chalmers (@MaxChalmers90) February 13, 2015

Mia Sanders, convener of the NSW Education Action Network said between five and eight of the network’s members had been sprayed by police.

“We weren’t encroaching, we weren’t pushing, we didn’t want to enter the building,” Ms Sanders told news.com.au.

However, one of the students who was sprayed later told news.com.au that at the time some protesters had been trying to enter the function room where Mr Pyne was delivering the inaugural Hedley Beare Memorial Lecture.

“It was a peaceful demonstration against deregulation of university fees ... but we were violently pushed back,” Ridah Hassan said.

Ms Hassan said the experience was very painful and her face felt like it was on fire but pepper spray would not deter her from protesting again.

“We won’t be intimidated by a little bit of pepper spray.”

She said students were trying to take a stand in defence of the public education system.

“But (Christopher) Pyne refuses to listen to us,” she said.

It is unclear what kind of spray was used but fellow protesters helped the victims, treating them using with milk and water.

The group had been protesting against the government’s plans to deregulate universities but had been told they had missed Mr Pyne’s arrival this morning at the SMC Conference and Function Centre.

Comment has been sought from police.

BREAKING: Violent scenes in Syd CBD - several students pepper sprayed while protesting changes to uni fees #tennews pic.twitter.com/3GHB0Ugvj6

— Matt Doran (@mattdoran22) February 13, 2015

Protesting uni students in Sydney say they were pepper sprayed by police @abcnews pic.twitter.com/243ho3mPRd

— Rebecca Barrett (@becjbarr) February 13, 2015

Paramedics treat Brigitte Garozzo after she was pepper sprayed.