Organisers of a pro-Palestine rally have offered to delay their march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge by a week after the New South Wales government said it would not support a protest of that scale and nature this Sunday.
On Monday, the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group announced it planned to change the course of its near-weekly rallies through the CBD and instead walk across the iconic bridge to the US consulate.
The premier, Chris Minns, responded that the government could not support a protest of that size across the bridge this weekend.
“We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos,” Minns said in a statement.
“The NSW government cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week’s notice.
“The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city used every day by thousands of people. Unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns.”
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Minns said police were “in discussions with organisers” about other routes they can take and “are working to ensure community safety is upheld”.
The Palestine Action Group announced the rally in a social media post, talking about the starvation of people in Gaza.
“This is a genocide. Even if, under global pressure, Israel temporarily allows some food into Gaza, it will not mean the end of Israel’s goal of ethnically cleansing the [Gaza] strip.”
The group said “this extraordinary situation” has led it to call for a March for Humanity over the bridge on 3 August “to save Gaza”.
Josh Lees, a spokesperson for the group, said if the premier needed more notice in order to support the rally, then the group could organise the march a week later.
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“In 2023, the Harbour Bridge was closed for several hours to shoot a scene for a Ryan Gosling film. It is regularly closed at short notice for maintenance or emergencies. It was closed for the historic 2000 march for reconciliation and the 2023 World Pride march. It can be temporarily closed to help stop a genocide,” Lees said.
The group has submitted what is known as a “form one” to police. The form is a notification to hold a public assembly that, if accepted by police, would protect those attending from being potentially charged under anti-protest laws.
In 2022, the then NSW Liberal government legislated – with support from Labor – a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $22,000 fine for protesters who obstruct facilities such as ports and transport hubs. The penalty also applies to protests on main roads.
Last year, the Palestine Action Group faced a supreme court challenge by NSW police after the force knocked back its form one application to hold two pro-Palestine events in October.
The group managed to come to an agreement with police that it would change the route of a rally on 6 October and an event on 7 October would be a standing vigil.
