Police confirm horse uninjured after Sydney protest incident
TOBRUK #TOBRUK
It’s the photo that shocked the nation.
The moment a police horse, named Tobruk, was pictured allegedly being struck by a man in the midst of chaotic anti-lockdown protest scenes in Sydney’s CBD.
The image went viral in minutes on social media, with NSW Police sharing the photo to Facebook where it received more than 63,000k likes and almost 44,000k comments within hours of posting.
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The image of the horse, which was first shared by the Sydney Morning Herald, caused outrage on social media. While it is unclear what exactly led to the altercation, new unverified vision shows the horse was struck or pushed away by the man. Police told news.com.au investigations are ongoing into the incident and an update will be provided on Sunday.
With thousands demanding information on the horse’s health regardless, NSW Police confirmed that Tobruk the horse was not injured.
In a separate post, the NSW Mounted Police Facebook account shared an image of Tobruk snug in his stable in Sydney after his turbulent day at work.
“Our beautiful brave Tobruk safe and uninjured after his awful encounter today,” the post read.
“Thank you again everyone for your words of support.”
NSW Police are calling for information on the man in the photo, with anyone who can provide information to contact police immediately.
NSW Police have released additional images which show the chaotic scenes from today’s violent protests.
Broken glass bottles littered streets, and one police officer was shown to be covered in ink after a clash with an objector.
A crowd of protestors stretched as far as the eye could see in Sydney, moving through the CBD towards Town Hall amid a massive police presence — some on the ground estimate there were as many as 15,000 people taking part in the march. Protestors were spotted scaling buildings as the demonstration grew, flooding the empty streets under lockdown.
Footage on social media shows the demonstrators walking down Broadway — one of the main arteries through Sydney’s inner-west — as part of a “worldwide rally for freedom” in the CBD.
One video captured the moment a group surrounded a unit of mounted police, hurling what appeared to be a pot plant at one of the officers.
The crowd can be heard chanting “New South Wales” repeatedly in the video.
Authorities are now trawling through photos and footage on social media to identify the 3500-something participants.