‘No offence intended’ in officer’s hand gesture

NSW Police have denied an officer flashed a “white power” gesture during a Black Lives Rally in Sydney’s CBD on Friday, claiming he was making an inoffensive hand signal.

Photos and videos posted to social media yesterday morning depict an officer making an ‘okay’ gesture with his thumb and index finger.

While the gesture is generally accepted to be an expression of approval or agreement, it has been coopted over the last several years by right-wing extremists.

The person posting the video to Twitter captioned the image: “Photo from earlier tonight @nswpolice throwing white power to the camera.”

However, police said the officer was not intentionally making an offensive gesture and did not know it had other connotations.

“The officer indicated he was responding to a group of women about the night being ‘okay’ and used a hand symbol as he was wearing a face mask,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.

“He did not know the gesture had any other meaning”.