Thousands of kilometers away in New South Wales, Australia, a drama is unfolding that feels uncannily familiar to the Kenyan observer. As the tear gas clears in Sydney, the debate on police brutality has gone global.

The catalyst was the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. In a bid to "secure" the dignitary, NSW Police employed controversial tactics—including pepper-spraying protesters and "kettling" (confining demonstrators to a small area)—that have drawn the ire of human rights watchdogs.

The Universal Language of Force

Now that President Herzog has left Australian soil, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has lifted the draconian restrictions on public assembly.But the damage to public trust is done. An independent inquiry by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) has been launched into alleged misconduct.

For Kenyans, the parallels are stark. The allegations in Sydney—of officers punching peaceful protesters and dragging those kneeling in prayer—mirror the accusations leveled against the Kenyan police during the Gen-Z protests and the recent church attacks in Nyeri.

It serves as a grim reminder that the tension between state security and civil liberty is not a unique African problem; it is a global crisis of democracy. As Kenyan opposition leaders call for the prosecution of the "Sierra Squad," they might find solidarity with the activists in Sydney demanding justice for the "Town Hall Rally."

"The right to shout is the first right to go," noted one Sydney activist. In Nairobi, that right is currently being fought for, one tear gas canister at a time.