SYDNEY — New South Wales police withdrew two charges against protester Eyad Shadid at Downing Centre local court on Wednesday afternoon. The charges, refusing to comply with a police direction and resisting or hindering an officer, related to Shadid's arrest at a February rally at Sydney town hall.

Shadid, a 25-year-old Palestinian Australian man, was arrested near a group of Muslim men who were praying when he was grabbed by police officers during the protest. Police had alleged that he contravened the now-defunct public assembly restriction declaration law.

"The evidence served by the police in this case clearly established that Mr Shadid did not commit any offence and he should never have been charged to begin with," lawyer Nick Hanna said. Hanna said he hoped charges would be dropped against all 30 protesters arrested in connection with the rally.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said that pending a review, police would drop charges laid under the public assembly restriction declaration law. He said police were also investigating the lawfulness of directions given under a separate major events declaration, which gave officers expanded "move on" and search powers.

In Downing Centre local court on Wednesday morning, 14 protesters had their matters adjourned to allow review of charges laid under the public assembly restriction declaration law. Twenty-nine other protesters were charged after the February rally at Sydney town hall, facing offences outside the public assembly restriction declaration law, including assaulting a police officer, behaving in an offensive manner, and throwing an object.

The public assembly restriction declaration law was in force during the protest at Sydney's town hall and was cited by police as the reason a march could not go ahead. Last month, the court of appeal struck down the law, ruling in favour of the Palestine Action Group and Blak Caucus and finding that giving police the power to restrict all protests for 90 days after a terrorist attack was unconstitutional. The law had been introduced after the December Bondi beach terror attack, in which 15 people were killed and more than 40 injured when two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukah celebration at a park.