Police seek to block Palestine march on Harbour Bridge
Rachel Jackson and Farid Farid |
Police will seek to block plans for activists to march across an iconic Australian landmark calling for more political action on the war in Gaza.
Thousands of people were expected to join the march organised by the Palestine Action Group across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday.
But NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter McKenna confirmed the force had decided not to allow the protest and would apply to the Supreme Court to categorise it as unlawful and unauthorised.
“The main rationale behind that is quite clearly public safety,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
The Palestine Action Group vows to fight police in court, saying it would defend NSW citizens’ right to protest.
Its spokesman Josh Lees earlier accused NSW Premier Chris Minns of interfering in police operations, after state leader spoke out against the protest saying he “cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos”.
Mr Lees said the group had lodged the application on Saturday in compliance with the required one-week notice for a demonstration.
“If the government’s position was that they need an extra week or two to plan this event, then of course we would welcome that,” he said.
Mr McKenna said he understood arguments that the bridge had been closed before special events including World Pride, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marched in 2023, and the upcoming Sydney marathon.
“You need to understand months and months of planning goes into that,” he said.
“We don’t just put a cone down, blow a whistle and say ‘you’re right to cross’.”
Closing the bridge would cause major disruption for thousands of drivers and emergency services, Mr McKenna said.
“We do not get into the politics of it, we get into the public safety of it,” he said.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has spoken out against the protest, as has the Police Association of NSW.
“The combination of protesters and vehicles travelling at those speeds is a recipe for disaster and a risk that this organisation cannot expose our members to,” police union president Kevin Morton said in a statement.
The action group had said more than 50,000 people were expected to attend the protest.
The number of Palestinians believed to have been killed during the war in Gaza is nearing 60,000 people, according to local health authorities, while dozens of people are reported to have died in recent days due to starvation.
Israel’s military campaign began after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation in Australia, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The bridge has previously been shut for separate demonstrations, including the 2000 march for reconciliation which attracted more than 250,000 people and a film production.
AAP
