Alleged brawl in North Bondi: Inside story on the clash between a group of men waving the Palestinian flag in Sydney’s eastern suburbs – after a Jewish teenager was accused of confronting them

EXCLUSIVE

Shocked witnesses claim they were verbally abused by a group of boys waving a Palestinian flag in Sydney’s Jewish heartland – moments before the youths allegedly got into a fight with a young man.

Police were called to the Ampol Station in North Bondi, in Sydney’s east, about 10.20pm last Wednesday after four boys – all aged 17 – and a young Jewish man, 19, allegedly became involved in a fight.

Police allege the brawl broke out 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 and was due to appear in court at a later date while the teenagers were dealt with under the Youth Offenders Act.

Now shocked bystanders have revealed they had a clash with the youngsters at the petrol station shortly before the tragedy, with the boys threatening to hunt them down and ‘fight them’.

The revelation comes as police announced on Monday they will not hesitate to use special powers – including the ability to block roads and search vehicles – in a bid to control simmering tensions in Australia amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Witnesses told Daily Mail Australia they saw the teenagers driving in a convoy of cars previously seen passing through the area with the Palestinian flag dangling from the windows of the vehicles.

Video circulating online captured two cars – a GoGet rental car and a white Mercedes – turning right onto O’Brien Road in Bondi at around 10pm that evening – just 20 minutes before the other incident.

Footage shows the GoGet rental operator allegedly failing to give way to a food delivery person before entering the intersection, causing the man to fall from his motorcycle onto the road.

Witnesses claim the GoGet – with two female occupants – did not remain on scene to assist, but instead took off.

Sources have told Daily Mail Australia that some bystanders followed the women, who reportedly eventually stopped on a nearby street.

The women then, at the insistence of bystanders who stopped behind them, left the vehicle and walked back to the scene of the accident.

However, the four boys – who were traveling in the white Mercedes – are said to have driven up to the group and told the girls to run away and not return to the scene.

The two women then allegedly fled while the four boys began shouting at the bystanders who had confronted them.

“Those guys said to the witnesses, ‘Are you a Jew?’ We’re coming to f*cking find you and fight you,” the source told Daily Mail Australia.

Daily Mail Australia understands the incident was caught on camera and the footage has been handed over to police.

The source added, “They [both cars] driving erratically in the run-up to the accident.’

“An ambulance was called for the Uber driver. He didn’t, but he was really upset.

‘It was horrible.’

NSW Police confirmed last week that the alleged fight and traffic incident were linked, but did not indicate whether the case was being treated as an alleged collision.

“Emergency services were called to Old South Head Road, Bondi, at around 10pm yesterday following reports that a car and a motorcycle had collided,” a police spokesman said.

“The rider of the motorcycle – a 22-year-old man – was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and did not require any further treatment,” the spokesperson said.

‘The driver of the car – a 21-year-old woman – was not injured.

“Both the rider and driver were subjected to roadside breath tests, which returned negative results.

‘Officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command have launched 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 any further treatment,” the spokesperson said.

Moments after the incident, the man, 19, was driving a Toyota Corolla hatchback along O’Brien Street in North Bondi when the four 17-year-olds passed by in a white Mercedes, flying a Palestinian flag, as they traveled through the city. opposite direction.

The man then allegedly performed a U-turn and followed the group to 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 driving to a nearby gas station.

The Mercedes arrived at the gas station a short time later and both groups allegedly jumped out of their car and started arguing.

Police patrolling the area arrived a short time later and broke up the fight, with no injuries reported.

A source told Daily Mail Australia that the boy allegedly performed the U-turn and confronted the boys, asking ‘what are you doing here?’ after seeing them with the flag.

The source said the boy then reportedly feared he would be attacked after they damaged his car, so to get away he drove around the corner to the well-lit gas station, knowing there would be more people and CCTV footage .

However, the source said the four boys followed him back to the gas station where the confrontation reportedly continued. No injuries have been reported.

The incident occurred just hours after opposition leader Peter Dutton summoned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to parliament and accused him of not doing enough to protect the Jewish community.

A member of the Jewish community, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia the incident was blatant “harassment”.

‘Why are they different in our environment?’ they said.

“What other reason would they have to drive around with flags?”

On Monday, a spokesperson for NSW Premier Chris Minns revealed officers will not hesitate to use emergency powers brought in after the 2005 Cronulla riots to prevent car and motorcycle transports that are creating a “climate of fear”.

It comes after a number of high-profile incidents, including the alleged Bondi brawl and a motorcade of about 30 vehicles flying Palestinian flags traveling from western Sydney to Coogee in the city’s east earlier this month.

The spokesperson said officers can invoke Part 6A of the state’s public disorder powers if there is believed to be a threat to public safety.

Powers include the ability to cordon off roads and search vehicles without reasonable grounds, and to prevent people from leaving an area. The rules can be invoked during or prior to a protest.

Mr Minns said he ‘wouldn’t allow (people) to use cars to tear the city in half’.

The announcement came after Jewish federal MP Julian Lesser implored Mr Minns in a letter on Friday to ban the vehicle protests, labeling them as “anti-Semitic” and aimed at spreading fear.

In the moments after the gas station incident, there was fear in Sydney’s Jewish community, with members urging others to stay home.

Following police investigations, the young Jewish man, 19, was arrested at a house in Bondi at 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 December 12.

The four teenagers were treated in accordance with the Young Offenders Act.