Australian students pepper-sprayed
Xinhua, February 13, 2015 Adjust font size:
A group of protesting Australian university students were pepper-sprayed by police when they tried to storm a speech by a government minister on Friday.
Education Minister Christopher Pyne was delivering a lecture to educators in Sydney when chanting students protesting against university policy changes stormed the lobby of the conference center he was in.
When they refused police orders to retreat, capsicum spray was used on them, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
As they were removed, they chanted "this is not a police state, we have the right to demonstrate."
Ridah Hassan from the National Union of Students said the behavior by police was "disgraceful" and that students should be allowed to protest.
"We were pushed by police and I was pepper-sprayed right in the face, my face is on fire," Hassan said.
There were reports paramedics were treating a number of students for injuries, while those pepper-sprayed washed their eyes with water or milk. Endi