Key Points
- The heads of all police forces issued a rare joint statement calling for peaceful protests.
- Two pro-Palestinian events will take place in Sydney over the long weekend, including a vigil on October 7.
- NSW Police said there would be a “significant” police presence at the weekend’s events.
NSW Police say they will take “proportionate action” against anyone who commits a criminal offense during this period. .
Two pro-Palestinian events are set to take place in Sydney over the Labor Day long weekend, including one on October 6 and a vigil planned for October 7.
Both events, organized by Sydney-based activist organization Palestine Action Group, were at risk of being canceled after NSW Police asked the state Supreme Court to ban the events.
However, an agreement reached between police and protest organizers on Thursday led police to withdraw their request to ban events and change the route for Sunday’s protest.
Police and organizers also reached an agreement for an event on October 7, when Hamas staged a surprise invasion of Israel and killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli counts.
The Israeli assault on Gaza that followed that attack has now killed more than 41,000 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, and plunged the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis.
The Palestinian Action Group will hold a standing or “static” vigil on that day, which, unlike a moving protest, does not require permission for police presence.
Speaking to Channel 10’s The Project, Palestinian Action Group organizer Amal Naser said Monday’s event would be a “candlelight vigil to give the community an opportunity to mourn the loss of life over the past 12 months.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns will attend a vigil by Jewish leaders on October 7 and has called on pro-Palestinian groups to suspend activities for the day.
Controversy around planned pro-Palestinian events also emerged after last weekend’s protests were co-opted by supporters of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah – following
Hezbollah has been considered a terrorist organization by the Australian government since 2021.
Yellow Hezbollah flags and images of leader Hassan Nasrallah were flown to Sydney and Melbourne. A woman has been charged.
Police chiefs from all police forces across the country took the rare step of issuing a joint appeal on Friday, warning that incitement to violence on racial or religious grounds is illegal, including through the public display of prohibited items.
Praising or encouraging terrorism is also a serious offense, the statement said.
“There are a range of state and Commonwealth laws that can be used by police to ensure community safety and maintain social cohesion,” the police force said on Friday.
Speaking to media on Friday, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said organizers of this weekend’s events had agreed that “no flags, portraits or symbols linked to any proscribed terrorist organization would not be displayed.
Webb said police “will not hesitate to take appropriate and proportionate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence”.
Naser told Project hosts that Palestine Action Group organizers encouraged attendees not to bring flags associated with Hezbollah “not because we agree with these racist laws that target protesters, but rather because we don’t want our participants to get into any unnecessary trouble.”
Around 5,000 people are expected to attend the October 6 protest, which will now start in Hyde Park instead of City Hall as originally planned.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said on Friday “significant police resources would be in place” around Sydney’s CBD over the weekend, particularly for Sunday’s protest march .
“We have so far an agreement with the organizers on what they can and cannot do.
“If they stick to this agreement and the people who come to this protest do so in good faith and for the right reasons, then I hope… there won’t be any problems.”
With reporting from the Australian Associated Press.
