Pro-Palestinian protest: Thousands rally among heavy police presence in Hyde Park
A man has been arrested after a Nazi symbol was spotted on an Israeli flag among the Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters who took to Hyde Park. And it appears some have tried to find a work around to the Hezbollah flag bans. Follow updates here.
NSW
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Thousands have begun to gather at Sydney’s Hyde Park for a planned pro-Palestine rally.
By about 12.30pm, a large police presence could be seen, with thousands of protesters expected.
Palestinian Action Group spokesman Josh Lees says pro-Palestine rallies will continue until “Palestine is free”, after authorities said they did not want “the war in the Middle East played out on our streets”.
He said the group is expecting tens of thousands of protesters to march through Sydney’s CBD on Sunday. As of 145pm at least 2000 were in attendance.
“We’ve had 12 months of genocide in the Gaza Strip, now another invasion of Lebanon by Israel,” he said.
“We’ve seen the attempts by the government and the police to shut down and stop this protest, which means I think even more people are going to come today because they’re outraged by the treatment the protesters have got over the past week.”
Israel’s military action in densely populated Gaza has not been ruled genocide by the International Court of Justice.
Follow our updates below:
MARCH LEAVES HYDE PARK
Just before 3pm, the march departed Hyde Park, taking off down St James road.
At around 4pm, the march returned to Hyde Park, where some protesters remain.
Others began splintering off at St James station to continue on their way.
Earlier, organisers pleaded with protesters to “please not interact with any hecklers” and keep the rally peaceful, before inviting the crowd to tomorrow’s Town Hall vigil.
“This is a message to the filthy Chris Minns, no matter how hard you try to stop us, we will never back down.,” she could be heard saying to protesters as they marched.
The thousands-strong contingent is now making its way along Market Street past Pitt Street Mall, with police, followed by young drummer boys, leading the way.
Fluoro-vested Palestine Action Group volunteers ushered banner-holders off the footpath, where weekend shoppers paused to watch and film the protest. One group defied their orders, continuing to walk down Market Street’s footpath with a green and yellow banner several metres long.
In addition to the yellow and gold Lebanese flags and Ned Kelly flag, other members of the march wore yellow tshirts, and strips of yellow fabric tied around their arms and heads.
NAZI SWASTIKA ON ISRAEL FLAG
One man has been arrested after holding up an Israeli flag with a Nazi swastika replacing the Star of David.
A NSW Police spokesperson said the man was the only individual to be arrested from among the crowd of thousands gathered in Hyde Park.
The flag was spotted among the crowd as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Hyde Park.
“Stop Nazi Israel”, the sign read, with the Star of David replaced by a Nazi swastika.
Meanwhile, two separate protesters holding portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the former secretary general of terrorist group Hezbollah, who was killed last month.
Palestine Action Group martials were seen asking those with such portraits to put them away.
One speaker declared “Australia is a terrorist state”, lashing out at political leaders include Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
After thanking the NSW Police for making the protest “relevant” with their court action during the week, the speaker forecast the protest later getting “hectic”.
“If things do get hectic, if the police do start calling in, please look after each other… do not give them a reason to use their powers,” the woman said.
“Take care of each other because we all know they won’t take care of us.”
CHANTS RING OUT
Organisers have led the crowd in a chant of “Glory, glory to our martyrs, All our children, sons and daughters”, and the catchcry “From the river, to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Israel has been described as a “terrorist” and “rapist state”.
“There is only one solution, intifada, revolution,” the crowd chanted.
In another instance, organisers led chance of “long live the resistance”.
Speeches at the rally opened with a welcome to country by Uncle Dave Bell, who led the crowd chanting the names of dozens of Indigenous nations.
“Our people have been oppressed and murdered for decades. The genocide must stop,” he said.
ALBANESE JEERED BY CROWD
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of being “complicit in the continued genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.
A second Indigenous speaker, Lizzy Jarrett, compared suffering in Palestine with Indigenous child removals, and said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is “arming” and “funding” a “genocide”.
“I’d like to thank the f***king cops, for making us relevant,” she said, to loud cheers from the crowd.
“It’s time for Anthony Albanese and all his little f***king genocidal minions to get the f**k out of that government,” she said.
“He was pretending to be one of us not long ago … he is the worst of the worst.”
The Albanese government has said Australia has not supplied Israel with weapons in the past five years, and has backed curbing arms to the country.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has become a specific target of the crowd’s anger, booed and jeered at.
Southern Lebanese photographer Tom Toby took to the stage describing Dutton as a “maggot”, and calling out to “Jewish brothers and sisters” that after World War II, Dutton would be the one “at the ports, telling you you are not welcome”.
“I say to you, you maggot, we are coming after you,” he said.
“We will see you on election day, where you will be swept into the sewer of Australian politics, where you belong, you maggot.”
The crowd has also chanted “shame” on other politicians, including Albanese, Penny Wong, Chris Minns and Tony Burke.
Another protester took to the megaphone to lead anti-Israel chants, including calls for Australia to “stop funding” and “stop arming” Israel.
PROTEST BEGINS
Protesters have set up a makeshift market on the approach to Hyde Park’s fountain from St James station, selling Palestinian and Lebanese flags, T-shirts and keffiyeh scarfs.
Volunteers from Sydney Street Medics are roaming the park to provide first aid if required.
Protesters have laid out an enormous Palestinian flag banner filled with handwritten messages and signatures, on the approach to Macquarie Street.
A stage for speeches has been set up on the back of a ute.
Hundreds had already gathered around the fountain before 1pm, when the rally is due to begin.
FALSE FLAGS?
Some protesters appear to be trying to dodge the bans by flying flags that are similar, while wearing colours associated with the terror group.
As they poured into Hyde Park, the group were carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and Iranian flags. A couple of protesters are carrying plain yellow flags, which are not illegal. One protester is carrying a green and yellow flag with an image of Ned Kelly holding a gun. On it are the words “our boys in green and gold will win”. Yellow and green are the colours associated with Hezbollah.
Other protesters carry yellow flags emblazoned with the green cedar tree of the Lebanon.
One protester held a sign reading “If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do during the Holocaust, you’re doing it right now”.Others held signs or adorned themselves with stickers saying “f*** Israel”.
Ahead of the protest, which began at 1pm, police erected a massive sign at Hyde Park in both Arabic and English, informing protesters not to display Hezbollah flags and pictures of Nasrallah.
“The Hezbollah flag, symbols and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah should not be displayed at the public assembly as this may amount to a criminal offence,” the sign stipulates.
This is despite Assistant Commissioner McKenna saying the display of Nasrallah portraits was not actually a criminal offence.
Zero-tolerance warning
Police have called for calm ahead of a pro-Palestinian protest in the CBD on Sunday.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley warned there would be “zero tolerance” for misbehaviour and racial slurs.
Thousands are expected to attend a mass pro-Palestine protest in the CBD, starting at Hyde Park..
NSW Police will deploy thousands of officers for protests and vigils in Sydney over the next few days — which will cost taxpayers around $2 million.
“Everyone has the right to express their views but we need to respect each other in doing that,” Ms Catley said on Sunday morning.
“People do have the right to protest in a liberal Democracy but please be mindful that what you say, your actions really do matter.
“If you’re not (doing the right thing) you can expect to be arrested.
“There will be no tolerance for misbehaviour, there will be no tolerance for racial slurs – that is not the city that we want to be.”
Protesters came under increased scrutiny after protests late last month in which some in attendance waived flags of Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
“We do not want the war in the Middle East played out on our streets in Sydney,” Ms Catley said.
“That anger has no place here.”
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said a large police operation commenced at 10am this morning with a command centre set up.
“We will respond… if there is a need to,” she said.
“We take the position that this is an authorised protest for a peaceful protest and that’s what we expect.”
Assistant commissioner Peter McKenna, who is in charge of the police operation both today and on Monday said police had zero tolerance for the display of Hezbollah flags.
He also said police had been assured by organisers there would also be no portraits produced of deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“We’ve worked through this with the organisers.. that they have agreed that no flags or such portraits will be produced today,” he said.
“If there are and people are committing an offence, action will be taken.”
Commissioner McKenna said while displaying portraits of Nasrallah was not a criminal offence, police would be taking legal advice during the operation regarding those displaying the portraits.
“There is a view that in certain circumstances (the portraits) could be seen as offensive and we will consider that throughout the operation.”
Minns vows: It won’t happen again
Earlier, Premier Chris Minns has vowed to stop a repeat of scenes at the Opera House last year ahead of a mass pro-Palestine protest in the CBD, where thousands are expected to attend.
Mr Minns told Sky News police would be out in force over the weekend, to ensure the protests do not get out of hand
Up to 15,000 people attached to the Palestine Action Group are expected to march through the Sydney CBD on Sunday.
The group reached an 11th-hour deal with police after agreeing to a revised route, which would avoid Sydney’s Great Synagogue.
The Premier said last year’s protests, in which flares were throw, anti-Semitic slogans chanted and flags set alight on the steps of the Opera House was something he had “to bear responsibility for”.
“I apologised at the time,” he said.
“We can’t allow that to happen again and that is part of the reason why police were so vigilant about planned protest activity this Sunday and Monday.”
Mr Minns said the police move to block protests across the anniversary weekend was not designed to restrict free speech but to avoid displays of “hatred and racism”.
“We can’t have a situation where hundreds of people hijack a march, end up down at the Opera House and in a violent confrontation with police,” he said.
“Those images were spread on the front pages of newspapers around the world, and it gave Sydney and Australia a terrible reputation during that period. I’m determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“Now, part of that is ensuring that we’re vigilant about these protests. NSW Police are ready.”
State, territory and federal police have warned protesters “there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence” ahead of October 7 as pro-Palestinian vigil organisers vow to go ahead with their planned events.
Protesters have also been warned against displaying prohibited symbols after previous rallies in Sydney and Melbourne saw Australians waving Hezbollah flags despite the Lebanese militant group being a designated terrorist organisation.
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