NSW Police issue warning after agreeing pro-Palestine rallies will go ahead

NSW Police have issued a warning after reaching an 11th hour peace deal with pro-Palestine protesters for a rally to progress in Sydney’s CBD on Sunday.

NSW Police Commissioner initiated court proceedings in an effort to have two rallies, planned for the long weekend to coincide with the first anniversary of the Israel attacks, to be declared unlawful.

During an urgent hearing in the NSW Supreme Court before Justice Jeremy Kirk on Thursday afternoon, the police said they opposed plans for a protest on Sunday and Monday – the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Earlier, the protest organisers withdrew their application for a rally on Monday.

However, they said outside court that they would still hold a candlelight vigil on Monday at a place yet to be determined.

They then came to agreement for a rally to be held on Sunday, beginning in Hyde Park, before snaking through the Sydney CBD, and returning to Hyde Park.

“What happened today was that the police and government under political pressure tried to ban our protest, or tried to make it very hard for us to protest,” Josh Lees, from the Palestinian Action Group, said outside the Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve resisted that all along, we said we were going ahead.

“We’ve got a very good outcome, which was a mass protest through the city, marching through town.”

In a statement, NSW Police said protesters had agreed that “no flags, portraits or symbols connected to a prohibited terrorist organisation will be displayed” at the protest on Sunday.

Officers will conduct a high visibility operation during the protest and they “will not hesitate to take appropriate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence”, the organisation warned.

‘TINDERBOX’: POLICE CONCERNS

The two parties came to an agreement after agreeing to amend a protest route – which would have gone near the Great Synagogue.

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told the court on Thursday that he was concerned a proposed route path would travel near the Great Synagogue on Elizabeth St.

“I think it would actually be quite provocative to re-enter (Hyde Park) that close to the Great Synagogue, especially with the significant number of people that I would expect in this protest,” he said.

“It would be a difficult situation for police to ensure there was public safety.”

He said the situation could potentially be a “tinderbox”.

“Often it only takes one or two people to say the wrong thing and it could be a tinderbox, it could be something quite significant we have to deal with,” Assistant Commissioner McKenna said.

He said there had been a change in tone in the protests since the war spread to Lebanon.

Asked about the risks of the proposed Sunday protest going ahead, he said: “I see a number of significant risks.

“Since the uptake of the Lebanese community coming into the protest with the Palestinian Action Group, we felt a different undertone within the protest group, it is described to me by the police on the ground as a more aggressive feeling at the moment and we’re very concerned by it.”

In cross examination by barrister Arjun Chhabra, appearing for the protesters, the assistant commissioner agreed the Lebanese community had been involved since the protests started a year ago.

Ultimately, the two parties came to an agreement after changing the route by one street, therefore avoiding coming close to the synagogue.

PRO-PALESTINE SUPPORTERS COURT RALLY

Earlier, a few dozen protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court in Sydney, waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags under the watchful eye of a small number of police.

Marchers chanted “this is not a police state” and “we are all Palestinians”, as young children beat drums and with placards staring “justice B4 Zionist lobby”.

“We are not going to stop now as Israel is out of control waging this war of terror … We will not let them get away with this now,” one speaker told the crowd.

Protesters have held a small rally outside the court where NSW Police are trying to stop Pro-Palestine rallies on the weekend.

Marchers vowed not to have their protest curtailed by the potential court order, chanting that “Chris Minns, we will march. Chris Minns, we will win”.

Protests have been scheduled to go ahead in Sydney’s CBD on October 6 and October 7, with about 70,000 people expected to attend.

The two protests are being held to mark one year since Hamas fighters killed more than 1200 people in Israel which sparked the invasion of Gaza and later Lebanon.

The Prime Minister and other political leaders have called for the rallies not to be held on the first anniversary of the attack which left 1200 dead, in the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust.

The attack in Gaza has led to a year-long conflict in Gaza.

Recent Israeli ground and air operations on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon were sparked by the terrorist group’s ceaseless bombardment of civilian areas in Israel’s north that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

Demonstrations in Australia are facing increased scrutiny after flags of Hezbollah, and framed pictures of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, appeared at pro-Palestine rallies last weekend.