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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/13/nsw-police-officer-appears-to-make-white-power-salute-near-sydney-black-lives-matter-protest
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| NSW police officer appears to make white power salute near Sydney Black Lives Matter protest | NSW police officer appears to make white power salute near Sydney Black Lives Matter protest |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Video taken on Pitt Street, near Sydney’s town hall, showed officer making the sign while crossing street with other police | Video taken on Pitt Street, near Sydney’s town hall, showed officer making the sign while crossing street with other police |
| Attendees of Friday night’s Black Lives Matter protests in Sydney say they were left terrified after an officer appeared to flash a hand symbol associated with the white power movement. | Attendees of Friday night’s Black Lives Matter protests in Sydney say they were left terrified after an officer appeared to flash a hand symbol associated with the white power movement. |
| Black Lives Matter protesters gathered in the Sydney CBD to draw attention to Australia’s record on Indigenous deaths in custody. | Black Lives Matter protesters gathered in the Sydney CBD to draw attention to Australia’s record on Indigenous deaths in custody. |
| Protester Jen Atherton filmed the video after the group was moved out of Hyde park by dozens of police officers and both parties made their way to Town Hall. | Protester Jen Atherton filmed the video after the group was moved out of Hyde park by dozens of police officers and both parties made their way to Town Hall. |
| “It was just really shocking,” Atherton said. | “It was just really shocking,” Atherton said. |
| The symbol is extremely similar to the “OK” hand gesture but has been used by white power movements in recent years. | The symbol is extremely similar to the “OK” hand gesture but has been used by white power movements in recent years. |
| “You can’t really ever confirm but … I don’t see why he would be saying everything was OK in that moment,” Atherton said. | |
| NSW police have denied the gesture was in any way related to the white power movement. | NSW police have denied the gesture was in any way related to the white power movement. |
| “The officer has been spoken to and did not intentionally make a gesture that could be deemed offensive,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “Further, the officer indicated he was responding to a group of women about the night being ‘OK’ and used a hand symbol as he was wearing a face mask. He did not know the gesture had any other meaning.“The NSW police force works closely to foster a strong and cohesive partnership with Aboriginal communities and other groups and does not appreciate irresponsible inflammatory commentary in this space.” | “The officer has been spoken to and did not intentionally make a gesture that could be deemed offensive,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “Further, the officer indicated he was responding to a group of women about the night being ‘OK’ and used a hand symbol as he was wearing a face mask. He did not know the gesture had any other meaning.“The NSW police force works closely to foster a strong and cohesive partnership with Aboriginal communities and other groups and does not appreciate irresponsible inflammatory commentary in this space.” |
| Atherton did not accept the police’s account of events. | Atherton did not accept the police’s account of events. |
| “I don’t believe it for a second. It was directly to the camera and I was clearly a protester.” | “I don’t believe it for a second. It was directly to the camera and I was clearly a protester.” |
| The video was taken at the corner of Pitt and Park St in Sydney’s CBD. | |
| More than 600 officers flooded the CBD on Friday night as about 300 people protested against Aboriginal deaths in custody. | More than 600 officers flooded the CBD on Friday night as about 300 people protested against Aboriginal deaths in custody. |
| One person, a 24-year-old woman, was issued a fine for disobeying a move-on direction at the protest on Friday night. | One person, a 24-year-old woman, was issued a fine for disobeying a move-on direction at the protest on Friday night. |