Photo shows a maskless thug punching police horse during Sydney’s anti- Covid lockdown protest

Despicable moment maskless thug punches a police horse during anti-lockdown chaos in Sydney – as ‘disgusted’ Gladys Berejiklian slams protesters for ‘compromising the safety of all of us’

• Violent anti-lockdown protests took over the Sydney CBD on Saturday afternoon
• Mounted police were brought in to keep control of the protesters at Town Hall 
• Coward was photographed punching a police horse during disgusting scenes

By Peter Vincent For Daily Mail Australia

The despicable moment a cowardly maskless thug punched a police horse during Saturday’s violent anti-lockdown protests has been caught on camera.

The long-haired protester – wearing a t-shirt bearing the message ‘free speech – important than your feelings’ – was photographed throwing his left fist at ‘Troop Horse’ Tobruk’s face during chaotic scenes outside Town Hall station in the city’s CBD.

The confronting image came as thousands of protesters took to the streets of cities across Australia on Saturday afternoon to protest against Covid lockdowns.

A cowardly maskless thug was photographed punching a police horse during Saturday’s violent anti-lockdown protest

New South Wales Police said 57 arrests were made during the demonstration and a special strikeforce had been set up to track down and bring to justice the 3,500 protesters who broke lockdown rules to attend the rally.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday evening vowed those who gathered for the illegal rally would face ‘the full force of the law’.

She said she was ‘utterly disgusted’ by the protesters and said their actions had compromised the safety of everyone in NSW as the state battles a surging outbreak of the highly-contagious Delta variant.

NSW Police have appealed for help identifying the long-haired man in this photo who punched Troop horse Tobruk during Saturday’s wild anti-lockdown protests

There were wild scenes in protests across the Sydney CBD on Saturday afternoon, prompting Gladys Berejiklian to vow the activists would face ‘the full force of the law’

‘I am utterly disgusted by the illegal protestors in the City today whose selfish actions have compromised the safety of all of us,’ Ms Berejiklian said.

‘The protesters have shown utter contempt for their fellow citizens who are currently doing it tough.’

‘I want to thank the brave police officers who put their own safety on the line to ensure the protest action ceased. 

‘This type of activity during lockdown will not be tolerated and the full force of the law will be brought against anyone who engages in this type of illegal activity.’ 

Frenzied crowds were heard screaming ‘you serve us!’ to police while some have been filmed crash tackling officers into a garden bed in the middle of a street.

NSW Police established Strike Force Seasoned, comprised of 22 detectives, to identify and prosecute all those who broke the law during the protest. 

Police also published the photo of the attack on social media asking for members of the public to help identify the assailant who made no attempt to hide his identity or his animosity. 

Protesters were met by mounted police outside Town Hall in Sydney – with neither group prepared to back down 

Mounted police are pictured in Sydney with hi-vis and protective headgear.  NSW Police said 57 arrests were made during the demonstration

The public response was overwhelming, with the post being shared over 5,000 times within an hour amidst a surge of support for the police who attended.

Police issued a statement on Saturday evening saying all the horses used in the police operation, including Tobruk, were uninjured.

‘Good news! Troop horse Tobruk was not injured and is recovering back at the stables after a hard day’s work,’ the statement said.

If you have any information to assist in identifying the man depicted, please contact police.

‘Our officers have already started to identify attendees and will continue for as long as required to identify and prosecute all those who broke the law today,’ said Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said in a statement.