WATCH: Aussie News Captures ‘Violent’ Attack on Their Reporters By U.S. Police; Prime Minister Calls For Investigation

Ken MeyerJun 2nd, 2020, 9:52 am

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is calling for an investigation after an Australian news crew was apparently assaulted by police as they covered protests outside of the White House Monday evening.

Channel 7 reporter Amelia Brace filmed a segment on the George Floyd protests Monday, that documented D.C. police firing tear gas at the peaceful protesters just as President Donald Trump was about to give his Rose Garden speech. While Brace was reporting that her cameraman got hit by a rubber bullet, her segment suddenly showed police charging at the crowd before one officer lunged at their camera.

The live footage shocked Brace’s colleagues back in the Sunrise news studio, who remarked that “they’re not discriminating between protesters and the media here.” When Brace got back in front of the camera and confirmed the crew was alright, she continued to report on the chaos while saying “you heard us yelling ‘we were media,’ but they don’t care… They were quite violent and they do not care who they’re targeting at the moment.”

The incident happened as police forced protesters to disperse so that Trump could visit St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo-op.

Following the incident with Brace, Morrison told Australian news outlets that he spoke to Channel 7 and said the government would support them if they wanted to file a formal complaint against the police. The prime minister called for an investigation to be launched by the embassy.

The brutal beating of the Australian news crew was also filmed by an ABC 7 feed of the protests:

U.S. Ambassador to Australia Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. released a statement saying “we take mistreatment of journalists seriously, as do all who take democracy seriously.”

“As Secretary Pompeo has stated, ‘At all levels, the Department of State works tirelessly to advance press freedom, and we honor those who have dedicated and even sacrificed their lives to sustaining democracy though journalism,’” said Culvahouse. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting journalists and guaranteeing equal justice under law for all.”