New rally planned as thousands gather for Palestinians

Luke Costin | October 16, 2023

Young families were among thousands of people who attended rallies calling for a free Palestine and an end to deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Despite fears of violence and police warnings to stay away, more than 6000 people gathered at demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on Sunday, following rallies on Friday in Brisbane and Perth.

The strikes are retaliation to the massacre of more than 1000 people by Hamas militants in co-ordinated attacks last weekend.

Rally organiser Palestine Action Group Sydney on Sunday announced plans for a march next weekend at Town Hall.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke said the group’s new application would be considered on its merits but no decision had been made.

It comes after original plans were rejected on technical grounds for a pro-Palestine rally at Town Hall in Sydney’s CBD on Sunday.

That decision followed anti-Semitic chants and flares being set off at a similar rally outside the Opera House on Monday night, when the landmark was lit in Israeli colours in a show of solidarity.

A denied application to hold a protest or rally could effectively be appealed in the Supreme Court, a step that organisers were conscious of when warning Sunday’s crowd to remain peaceful.

“What happens today will help determine how the courts and the government look upon that (application),” attendees were told.

“Let’s be clear, we will not stop but we do not want to give them a free kick.”

Mr Cooke said the largely peaceful gathering and lack of arrests on Sunday was “certainly encouraging” for future applications.