NSW Police Chief Says “Praying” Pro-Hamas Muslims Chose Confrontation Over Cooperation
New South Wales Police defend their firm response to pro-Hamas protesters in Sydney, saying officers lawfully cleared escalating unrest while balancing security, public safety and religious sensitivities.
NSW Police chief Mal Lanyon is defending actions taken against pro-Hamas protestors on 9 February, saying they were necessary and legal.
This includes the removal of Muslims who blocked the walkway outside Sydney’s Town Hall to “pray”.
Speaking with 2GB’s Ben Fordham, Lanyon said the state’s law enforcement did an “outstanding job” given the difficult task of “managing three competing interests.”
Priorities for NSW police included protecting Israel’s President, who was speaking less than a kilometre away at Sydney’s International Convention Centre.
Israeli head of state Isaac Herzog was in Australia as a guest of the Governor General and the Australian government to pay tribute to Bondi’s Islamic terror victims.
They then had to juggle protecting the Jewish Australian audience – who are “still mourning” the Islamic terrorist attack at Bondi – with policing pro-Islamist, “Globalise the Intifada” protestors.
Prayer, Protest and Public Order Collide
Instead of working with NSW Police, Lanyon said, the pro-Hamas group rejected an offer to help move the peak-hour protest.
Complicating their job, the organiser, socialist Josh Lees, seemed to encourage anarchy, contradicting his assurances that no march would take place.
According to Lanyon, “a number of speakers had been inciting protestors to march.”
Apparently unwilling to rein in the mob in, Lee later let his “take back the streets” crowd loose, allegedly telling them “he couldn’t tell them what to do.”
Lanyon said, as a result, “a large group marched on Town Hall” against the advice of his law enforcement officers.
That blatant show of contempt forced the police to “move in and clear the road.”
Well aware of the selectively edited social media optics, Lanyon said, he has approached Muslim leaders to “apologise if any offence was taken regarding Islamic prayer.”
However, he asserted, “police had to hold the line. They dispersed the crowd because of the behaviour of protesters.”
A media release from NSW Police said 27 protestors were arrested. Nine were charged with assault.
Complimenting NSW Police, Miranda Devine recalled on X that the “praying” group of Muslim protestors were “asked to leave.”
They instead “chose to stay to try and pray in front of officers, as a provocative show of force.”
“They could have prayed at a mosque, but they chose to do it in an unauthorised protest against memorial events for the victims of the terrorist attack at Bondi.”
Minneapolis should take note, she added.
NSW Police wouldn’t take the bait.
“Islamists associated with the radical jihadist hate group Hizb Ut Tahrir attempted to start a riot in Sydney by baiting police with public prayers, right as the police were trying to legally clear out the area.”
This was “old-fashioned police work foiling” a set-up, the seasoned Australian journalist, author and NY Post columnist asserted.
Political and Religious Leaders Trade Blame
By contrast, Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, who led the “prayer”, blamed the police, accusing them of being “unhinged and aggressive.”
Quoted by The Guardian, Charkawi said NSW police were “so unhinged, so aggressive and so violent.”
They had, he alleged, “zero regard for anyone and anything in their way, even peaceful ‘worshippers’ who were not in anyone’s way.”
Charkawi then appeared to play the “Islamophobia” card, stating that turning his back on NSW police “was how Muslims pray.”
“When you’re in ‘prayer’, you’re not allowed to break it for any reason.”
“There’s got to be a catastrophe, or some type of emergency that is happening, for us to do that,” he added.
Agreeing with Charkawi, the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) issued a smug statement in protest.
Police enforcing the law while Muslims were at prayer, they declared, was “shocking, deeply disturbing and entirely unacceptable.”
The “that’s Islamophobic” lecture reprimanded the NSW police force.
The ANIC then reminded officers that their duty is to “protect the community, not interfere with religious worship.”
Context is critical.
Using prayer as a tool for intimidating, or baiting opponents is spiritual abuse.
Muslims abused law enforcement, and now they’re attempting to manipulate the public by playing the victim.
This wasn’t “ritual” it was an apparent attempt to incite a riot.… https://t.co/Xu5VTtvGbS
— Rod Lampard (@rod_lampard) February 12, 2026
Their complaints were predictably shared by the Greens, who claimed the group did nothing wrong.
“You can’t get anything more peaceful than prayer.”
Stopping short of screaming police brutality, the Greens said, “people were treated poorly.”
We all know, of course, that had this been a Christian group praying outside an abortion mill, the Greens’ take would be completely different.
The same goes for Christians conducting street preaching in public near a “rainbow” coloured zebra crossing or self-proclaimed LGBTQI+ “safe zone”.
This was proven true by Greens MP Jenny Leong in June 2023, when she “rallied against Christian terrorists” after a “tip-off” about a Christian outreach in her electorate.
As 2GB’s Mark Levy effectively concluded,
“NSW Police didn’t start the chaos on February 9. They ended it.
“The state’s guardians of the peace deserve a pat on the back, not an inquiry!”
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All Australian must realise there is no such thing as a moderate Islamist . Their doctrine is religious and political conquest of all other beliefs. They are not compatible with Australia n values/ culture
Agreed–there is NO such thing as a “moderate ” Muslim . All Muslims must follow the teachings of Mohammed as contained in the Koran and hadiths which includes death of Jews and ‘infidels ” who will not convert. This “prayer” was baiting the police. It is the beginning of the Muslim takeover of Australia. It shows how strong they have become . The Pro-Palestine Marches are just a cover for the end game – “The Islamic State of Australia ” similar to Iran’s. Australia is full of Terrorists as ex-ASIO spy, imam “Marco” explained to the media. He now lives in hiding abroad in fear for his life for revealing that he warned ASIO years before about the father and son who did the Bondi killing . He claims ASIO ignored him and his concerns about Imam Wisam Haddad’s recruitment of youths to do violence which is alleged still continues. “Marco” claims he, also, warned ASIO before the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mar Emanuel. Julian Assange’s brother , Gabriel Shipton, runs “The Information Rights Program ” to protect whistleblowers like “Marco “. I suggest Pauline Hanson moves a Senate motion for a full Senate investigation into ASIO’s failures and “Marco’s ” case . What is ASIO really doing about protecting Australia’s democracy and protecting Australians (includes Jews ) ? Or, is it only playing , concentrating on a few Nazis who pose no real threat to Australia? Or collecting information on peaceful Christians whom it sees as a “threat ” to Islam because we will not support Islamization of Australia ? We have a Right to know how our taxes are being spent by ASIO. Is it just a waste of money , or, is it doing a good job ?
Throughout Europe, Britain, Canada, the United States et al, Muslims can be seen “praying” outside Christian Churches, in Department Stores, in shopping arcades, on major streets blocking traffic, at railway stations blocking pedestrians, and at Christian festivals et al ad nauseum.
It is an orchestrated ploy. Fundamentally, the message is “Allah has given your country and its people to us. Soon we will take your country entirely. Allah has told us, therefore, that we can pray at any time we like, wherever we like.”
It is unequivocal provocation. Our police have done us proud. In the UK, for example, police follow a two-tiered justice system – one for British citizens who face arrest and incarceration, another for Muslims who are let off. My only sadness, is that they followed it up with an apology. I wonder …… an apology called for by a woke, non-“islamophobic” virtue-signalling, gutless parliamentarian?
Notice that Lee’s is like a General organising the troops, but he’s never in the front of the battle lines he sends forth?
Much like using children and women in the middle east as expendable cannon fodder.
He catches on.
Iran used to send children in to clear minefields in the war with Iraq.
Geeing them up with promises of paradise.
And the useful idiots sign up.
He needs to be prosecuted. Very slick snake in my humble opinion.
There were Air-Tasker jobs offers for $100 for protesters to attend. Who is footing that bill?
FACT: They were in a restricted security Zone, they were asked to move along.
Yes, one officer said you can pray, but that was changed and they told to move.
They then disobeyed the order.
Playing victims again!
Can you hear the mental illness in the screams of the women? They are shouting: “they are praying” as though this is meant to mean something to atheists and others. YOUR act of prayer is meaningless to me.
Your aggressive act of power is meaningful, and Islam needs to be stopped in its tracks right now.
Muslims please understand that nothing you do has ANY meaning at all outside of your head.
The governor should be ashamed for allowing this to happen in the first place.
From what I could hear on the footage, people weren’t just screaming “they’re praying!” but “they are ‘f ing’ praying!”
It’s now apparent – Islam and praying in contravention of a police “move on” trumps NSW police.
Now that is downright scary. Where does it leave the rest of us non muslim law-abiding citizens?
A friend, who is blind, had a doctor’s appointment. He took his guide dog, a black lab, to the appointment, as he is legally entitled to do in Australia. The doctor refused to allow him to bring the dog into the surgery, as it was against his religion. We live in a small country town with one medical centre. My friend took the case to court. The court decided in favour of the doctor, as he apparently had a higher legal right to ban dogs from the premises. My friend had to pay all the legal expenses. He then had to travel elsewhere to see a GP. On the one hand, are we going to allow Sharia law to take over? On the other hand, the police officers in the video above did appear to be treating the protestors roughly, provoking negative comments.