Hannah Thomas Defamation: MEDIA RELEASE – 2 JULY 2025:
FORMER GREENS CANDIDATE HANNAH THOMAS DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM TONY BURKE AND SKY NEWS FOR DEFAMATION IN THE AFTERMATH OF HER SERIOUS INJURY AT THE HANDS OF POLICE.
Comment by Hannah Thomas defamation notice
Former Greens candidate, Hannah Thomas, who was seriously injured during an interaction with police over the weekend has sent defamation Concerns Notices to Federal Minister, Tony Burke and Sky News in relation to comments made by Mr. Burke and Sky News subsequent reporting around those comments.
“While I was in hospital recovering from serious, life-changing injuries incurred at the hands of NSW Police for engaging in peaceful protest, the Home Affairs Minister and Sky News chose to victim-blame me. Minister Burke and Sky News suggested that people who exercise their fundamental right to protest, may well end up brutalised by police and that this is acceptable.
It’s a sinister message that risks emboldening further police violence. I would not wish what happened to me on anyone. The hypocrisy in these circumstances in the message that no one is above the law is also jarring, given that the Australian Government and Sky News have not turned the same blowtorch on the numerous breaches of international law committed by the state of Israel.”
– Hannah Thomas
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Our response
“By making comments and running a story that declare Ms. Thomas to have been acting unlawfully, both Minister Burke and Sky News have completely disregarded one of the fundamental principles of our legal system, that people are innocent until proven guilty.
Ms. Thomas denies she was acting unlawfully, and she will be vigorously defending any charges in court. The timing of these politically driven comments and stories is reprehensible, given that Ms. Thomas was still in hospital receiving medical treatment for a significant injury.
The story has directly contributed to hateful, demeaning and racist comments about Ms Thomas online. These kind of presumptive, premature and poorly considered political comments and journalism need to be held to account”
– Senior Defamation Solicitor at O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors, Stewart O’Connell
“We will be assisting Ms. Thomas defend any charges against her and at the appropriate time we will also be assisting in taking action against the police. While it is premature to comment on what happened, I can confidently say that no-one in this country should be at the risk of an injury like this at the hands of the police merely because they engaged in protest.
It is outrageous that Minister Burke’s comments and Sky News reporting effectively minimised the significance of the injury and focused on stating that Ms. Thomas engaged in unlawful conduct. In essence they are suggesting that this kind of outcome is to be expected simply because people do not comply with police move on directions ending otherwise peaceful civilian protest.”
– Principal at O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors, Peter O’Brien.
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