Two police officers have been injured following a raid on an unauthorised 1,000-person rave party in Sydney’s south on Saturday night. According to the Daily Telegraph, a police officer was hit in the head with a broken bottle and was treated by paramedics.
A reveller threw the glass bottle which hit the officer after members of the public order and riot squad were called in to shut down the party, which was organised by local party crew Channel 707 and held in an abandoned industrial estate in Botany.
Police attended the scene at about 11.30pm, though as inthemix notes, sources are in dispute about when officers arrived or when the event finally ceased. Police, who were equipped with dog squads, managed to disperse most of the approximately 1,000 punters peacefully.
Inspector Michael Stuart said a security guard on patrol in the area called authorities to the scene as the organisers did not have permission to use the venue. “A lot of people moved on and most of the crowd were very compliant but just a few unhappy souls,” he said.
As police moved the revellers on, paramedics treated some for the effects of pepper spray. “One officer had a bottle thrown at him from the crowd which struck him in the head and gave him some small cuts to his head and he needed treatment at hospital,” Insp Stuart said.
“Another officer was physically assaulted but did not sustain any injuries and a 26-year-old woman was arrested from that.” An after-party video has been making the rounds on social media and features one punter who comments positively on the vibe of the event.
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The clip, which readers can check out below, shows the impressive multi-stage setup of the event, featuring 40 performers and a vivid light show. The party was touted on Facebook as a “multi stage event at a secret location approximately 20 mins from the Sydney CBD”.
The address of the party was passed on through a mobile phone voicemail from 8pm on the night. Buses leaving from Central train station and stopping near the venue were advertised to help revellers get to the party.
“Well some boys in blue thwarted our attempts to come and party. Mega bummed,” one person wrote on the Facebook event page yesterday. Despite some unrest, punters commented on Facebook that police officers were “surprisingly cool and understanding”.
Still, one punter named Crystal Loneragan told the Daily Telegraph that she was pushed by a police officer and hurt her ankle. “He pushed me forcefully so I fell over on my ankle, then I couldn’t walk,” she said.
Turn up the Volume ! ..Channel 707 Multi stage freeparty – Saturday 11/04/2015
Posted by Ming d'Arcy on Saturday, April 11, 2015
