new south wales police moved before dawn on Thursday, 26 March 2026, when eight officers in riot gear entered a Burwood apartment to arrest a 42-year-old woman sleeping inside. The arrest was tied to the 9 February 2026 protest against Israeli president Issac Herzog, where officers allegedly used force against demonstrators. It was the latest step in a widening post-protest operation, with the woman becoming the 17th protester tracked down after the event.
Burwood arrest at 5 am
The apartment was on Dharug land, and the raid began at about 5 am ET, with officers smashing in the door and taking the woman to the police station. She was then charged over alleged conduct during the February protest, including claims that she threw a water bottle at police and threatened to assault an officer if he touched her. A criminal defence lawyer, Nicolas Hanna, said the woman had no criminal record and that there was no indication she posed any further threat.
Hanna said officers seized her phone and required her to provide a passcode under a digital evidence access order so they could download its contents. He also said some officers searched the apartment and went through her belongings after she had been taken into custody. The arrest came one day after two other women were raided in the same wider operation.
new south wales police intensify Strike Force Laine
The arrests are being carried out by Strike Force Laine, the investigation established to identify demonstrators from the 9 February Herzog protest who are alleged to have engaged in wrongdoing. So far, the operation has tracked down 17 demonstrators for arrest, while 27 people were arrested on the night itself and nine were later charged. That pattern has fuelled concern among critics that officers may have been arresting and roughing up protesters without necessarily intending to lay charges at the scene.
The main issue has remained the same: the protest itself was the scene of mass policing, and the aftermath is now focused on protesters rather than on the conduct of officers. Footage from the night has been described as showing state law enforcement brutalising the crowd en masse, and that has shaped the anger surrounding each new raid. The case has kept new south wales police under scrutiny as the investigation moves forward.
Watchdog inquiry and official response
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission launched an investigation on 17 February into incidents of alleged misconduct by members of the NSW police. The commission has found enough plausible evidence to carry out an inquiry, yet the state and its law enforcement arm have not moved in the direction of public apology or distancing from the officers’ actions. Instead, the premier, the police minister, and the police commissioner have all refused to apologise and have praised officer conduct.
That position has sharpened the political and public tension around the raids, especially as more protesters are identified and arrested after the fact. Nicolas Hanna warned in a 26 March post that “things are only going to get worse, ” and the latest Burwood arrest suggests the operation is still active. As further detentions or charges emerge, new south wales police will likely remain at the center of the story, with Strike Force Laine and the watchdog inquiry defining what comes next.
