Horrified witnesses claim they were verbally abused by a group of boys waving a Palestinian flag around Sydney’s Jewish heartland – just moments before the youths allegedly got in a fight with a young man.
Police were called to Ampol Station in North Bondi, in Sydney’s east, around 10.20pm last Wednesday after four boys – all aged 17 – and a young Jewish man, 19, were allegedly embroiled in a fight.
Police will allege the brawl erupted after the man, 19, confronted the teens for driving through the area, waving a Palestinian flag outside their window.
The man was charged with affray to face court at a later date while the teens were dealt with under the youth offenders act.
Now, shocked bystanders have revealed they had a run-in with the youths shortly before the drama at the petrol station, with the boys threatening to track them down and ‘fight them’.
The revelation comes as police announced on Monday they will not hesitate to use special powers – which include the ability to cordon off roads and search vehicle – in a bid to control simmering tensions in amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Four youths are pictured being spoken to by police at the scene
Witnesses told Daily Mail they saw the teenagers travelling in a convoy of cars that were earlier seen driving through the area with the Palestinian flag dangling out vehicles’ windows.
Video circulating online captured two cars – a GoGet rental and a white Mercedes – turning right onto O’Brien Road, in Bondi, around 10pm that evening – just twenty minutes before the other incident.
Footage shows the GoGet rental allegedly failing to give way to a food-delivery driver before turning into the intersection, with the man falling off his motorbike onto the road.
Witnesses claim the GoGet – which had two female occupants – did not stay at the scene to assist, but instead sped off.
Sources have told Daily Mail some of the bystanders followed the women, who allegedly eventually pulled over in a nearby street.
The women, at the behest of the bystanders who pulled up behind them, then allegedly exited the vehicle and started walking back towards the scene of the crash.
However, the four boys – who were travelling inside the white Mercedes – allegedly drove up to the group and began telling the girls to run away and not return to the scene.
The two women then allegedly bolted while the four boys began yelling at the bystanders who had confronted them.
‘They boys were saying to the witnesses ”are you a Jew? We’re going to come and f***ing find you and fight you”, the source told Daily Mail .
Palestinian supporters were seen driving around Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Wednesday night
A Palestinian flag was seen on the ground next to a white Mercedes while police officers searched the hatchback at the petrol station
Daily Mail understands the incident was captured on camera and the footage has been turned over to police.
The source added: ‘They [both cars] were driving erratically in the lead up to the crash.’
‘An ambulance was called for the Uber driver. He didn’t do in it, but he was really shaken up.
‘It was horrible.’
NSW Police confirmed last week the alleged brawl and traffic incident were linked, but did not state whether the matter was being treated as an alleged hit and run.
The n Jewish Association has shared photos of the car damaged during the alleged altercation
‘About 10pm yesterday, emergency services were called to Old South Head Road, Bondi, following reports a car and motorcycle had collided,’ a police spokesperson said.
‘The rider of the motorcycle – a 22-year-old man – was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and did not require further treatment,’ the spokesperson said.
‘The driver of the car – a 21-year-old woman – was not injured.
‘Both the rider and the driver were subjected to roadside breath tests which returned negative results.
‘Officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.’
‘The rider of the motorcycle – a 22-year-old man – was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and did not require further treatment,’ the spokesperson said.
Moments after the incident, the man, 19, was driving a Toyota Corolla hatchback along O’Brien Street at North Bondi when the four 17-year-olds passed by in a white Mercedes, holding up a Palestinian flag, as they travelled in the opposite direction.
Police remained at the Ampol service station until 5am Thursday
The man then allegedly performed a U-Turn and followed the group onto Old South Head Road, where the two drivers came to a stop and began arguing.
During the alleged confrontation, the man’s driver’s side mirror was smashed by a rock and he drove away before pulling into a nearby service station.
The Mercedes arrived at the petrol station a short time later and both groups allegedly jumped out of their cars and began arguing.
Police patrolling the area arrived a short time later and broke up the fight, which did not result in any injuries.
A source told Daily Mail the boy allegedly performed the U-turn and confronted the boys to ask them ‘what are you doing here?’ after seeing them with the flag.
The source said the boy then allegedly felt concerned he would be ganged up on after they inflicted damage on his car, so to get away he drove around the corner to the well-lit petrol station, knowing there would be more people and CCTV.
However, the source said, the four boys followed him back to the petrol station where the confrontation allegedly continues. No injuries were reported.
The incident occurred just hours after opposition leader Peter Dutton called out Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in parliament, accusing him of not doing enough to protect the Jewish community.
A member of the Jewish community, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail said the incident was blatant ‘intimidation’.
‘Why else are they in our area?’ they said.
‘What other reason would they have to be driving around waving flags?’
Police (pictured) spent seven hours at the scene and seized a number of items from the scene
On Monday, a spokesperson for NSW Premier Chris Minns revealed officers will not hesitate to use emergency powers set up after the 2005 Cronulla riots to prevent car and motorbike conveys which cause a ‘climate of fear’.
It comes after a number of high-profile incidents, such as the alleged Bondi brawl as well as a motorcade of about 30 vehicles displaying Palestinian flags driving western Sydney to Coogee in the city’s east earlier this month.
The spokesperson said officers are able to invoke Part 6A of the state’s Public Disorder powers if it is deemed there is a threat to public safety.
The powers include the ability to cordon off roads and search vehicles without reasonable cause and to prevent people from leaving an area. The rules can be invoked during or prior to a protest.
Mr Minns said he would ‘not allow (people to) use cars to rip the city in two’.
The announcement came after Jewish Federal MP Julian Lesser implored Mr Minns in a letter on Friday to ban the vehicle protests – labelling them ‘anti-Semitic’ and designed to cause fear.
In the moments after the petrol station incident, fear swept throughout Sydney’s Jewish community – with members urging others to stay at home.
Following police investigations, the young Jewish man, 19, was arrested at a home in Bondi around 12pm on Thursday and taken to the local police station, where he was charged with affray and using an offensive weapon to commit an indictable offence.
He has been granted bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on 12 December.
The four teenagers have been dealt with in accordance with the Young Offenders Act.