Peter Lalor Debunks Herzog Claims After Being Pepper-Sprayed

In a disturbing turn of events, veteran sports journalist Peter Lalor has come forward with a firsthand account of police violence during protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Herzog’s visit to Sydney. Lalor, who was caught in the confrontation, has challenged official narratives about what transpired that night.

“I was among protestors attacked by police last night in Sydney, and while it was frightening, unnecessary and unpleasant to be assaulted with pepper spray, I didn’t understand the full extent of the violence used by police until I saw social media videos this morning,” Lalor stated.

The journalist’s testimony comes amid a flurry of statements from government officials and police defending the actions taken against demonstrators. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has drawn criticism for suggesting police should have used rubber bullets and received commendations for their handling of the situation.

According to Lalor, video evidence captured by Andrew Brown of Michael West Media shows deeply troubling incidents, including officers repeatedly spraying a young woman with pepper spray while she was convulsing on the ground. “I started having a seizure, I fell to the ground vomiting, I heard one of them say ‘she’s faking’ and they sprayed me twice again while I was on the ground,” the woman recounted in the video.

Other documented incidents included officers repeatedly punching a man pinned to tram tracks, similar treatment of a protester with a bicycle, and the pepper spraying of an elderly couple. One man told reporters he was trying to shelter his 70-year-old companion when an officer sprayed them directly in the face three times despite their attempts to retreat.

Lalor described how the protest had effectively ended when police action began. After speeches at Town Hall, negotiations about a potential short march to nearby gardens were still ongoing, with one organizer suggesting protesters disperse on a “positive note.” The crowd was effectively trapped between police blocking different exit routes.

“At no point did the police attempt to tell us where to go, or warn us that they were about to attack, but attack they did. Without warning and before we could leave,” Lalor explained.

The veteran journalist was accompanying a 72-year-old woman who had just asked police for directions to exit when officers charged with horses and began deploying pepper spray. The resulting crush created dangerous conditions as people struggled to breathe through the chemical irritants. Protesters shifted to helping those most affected while trying to navigate safely away from the area.

The controversy extends beyond this single incident to broader issues of democratic freedoms and protest rights in Australia. Lalor noted the stark contrast between the treatment of peaceful protesters and the government’s reception of Herzog, whom he characterized as “a man who is the head of the state responsible for the slaughter of so many innocent women and children.”

Lalor pointed out that protesters had to fight in court for permission to hold a peaceful march across Sydney Harbour Bridge last year, while the government readily shut down city streets to accommodate Herzog’s visit. This time, protesters were denied court approval to demonstrate, setting the stage for the confrontation.

“Maybe some protestors were itching for a fight too, but everyone I saw was calm and had no stomach for such,” Lalor observed. “Most of us were trying to go home, having accepted that the police would not let us briefly march from the Town Hall to the gardens.”

The journalist questioned why authorities didn’t simply allow a short 30-minute march to the park rather than resorting to violent confrontation. He connected this incident to broader concerns about free speech regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, noting that critics of Israeli actions often face professional consequences and public vilification.

“I never thought I’d end up in situations like this. Foolishly, I imagined it was morally right and acceptable to object to the atrocities being committed by Israel,” he concluded, vowing that despite pressures to “look away and to say nothing,” silence is “not going to happen.”

The incident has sparked renewed debate about police tactics at protests and the balance between security concerns and democratic rights to peaceful assembly in Australia.