New South Wales police will ask the state Supreme Court to ban two pro-Palestinian rallies planned for the Labor Day long weekend in Sydney.
On Tuesday, the force said in a statement it was aware of planned protests in Sydney on Sunday and Monday.
It said officers from Operation Shelter – a police operation set up following the October 2023 pro-Palestinian rallies to coordinate police responses to protest activities – had conducted negotiations with organizers of the protests. demonstrations.
He said organizers had also submitted the required documents for each planned event, but that he was “not confident the protest could go ahead safely.”
“As a result, the Commissioner has decided to apply to the Supreme Court of New South Wales to prohibit both gatherings,” the statement continued.
The Guardian reported Tuesday that the rallies were organized by the Palestine Action Group, a “Sydney-based activist organization” that has been involved in organizing weekly pro-Palestinian protests.
Monday will mark the first anniversary of Hamas militants’ attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli counts.
It also marks a year since Israel launched its retaliatory attack on Gaza, killing more than 41,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and plunging the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
In its statement, NSW Police said: “recognizes and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”, but its “first priority” is ” the safety of participants and the broader community.”
