A man who was arrested in Sydney's CBD at a protest over police storming a Manus Island refugee camp has run away from police but has been identified and may still be charged.
The snap rally on Pitt Street turned into a march on Thursday evening, but was quickly blocked by about a dozen police officers.
Footage from the scene shows police dragging a protester away from the crowd and handcuffing him.
The man ran away from police but has been identified and a police spokeswoman said he will most likely be charged with hindering police.
"It was reasonably peaceful, it just seems like this guy was a one-off," the spokeswoman said.
The protesters were chanting "refugees are welcome here" in response to an ongoing standoff between police and immigration authorities and hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers at a decommissioned Manus Island facility.
The moment the Sydney #Manus Rally turned into a march to Circular Quay but was stopped. #SOSManus #Sydney pic.twitter.com/1YJhGoFRsK??? Fleafeet (Katie C) (@fleafeet) November 23, 2017
Police stormed the camp, destroyed property and moved about 50 men to a new site on Thursday morning, with one man saying he was handcuffed for two hours near the camp.
About 300 men are refusing to leave the decommissioned camp weeks after water and electricity were cut off, citing fears over safety at the new facilities.
Protests were also held in Melbourne's CBD on Thursday afternoon.
