NSW Police brace for October 7 anti-Israel protests

Fears have been raised planned pro-Palestine events marking the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terror attack on Israel could escalate into law-breaking.

Authorities are on high alert with two pro-Palestine events set to highlight the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Hamas terrorists invaded the Jewish state and slaughtered 1200 Israelis last year and pro-Palestine protesters have planned a vigil for Sydney’s Town Hall on Monday and a rally at the Lakemba Mosque to mark the day, despite condemnation from elected officials and Jewish community groups.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has called the Monday protests “grossly insensitive”.

“I don’t think it is appropriate, that is my personal view,” he said.

“To hold a protest or a rally on a day when people were massacred on the other side of the world is grossly insensitive, in my opinion.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, meanwhile, said police would attend both events and held concerns the protests could mushroom into something larger.

“We can’t rule (that) out – we would always be concerned that there’d be interlopers, (and that) people will come in for the wrong reason,” she said.

NSW police will attend two pro-Palestine events in Sydney on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Simon Bullard

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna, speaking before Sunday’s mass pro-Palestine rallies across the country, said the police would arrest protesters who break the law.

“If we see there are public safety issues, if people want to commit a criminal offence or significant anti-social behaviour … we won’t tolerate that (and) we won’t hesitate to act,” he said.

It is illegal in Australia to display symbols connected to a terrorist organisation or to display Nazi symbols like the swastika.

Palestine rallies are facing increased scrutiny after flags of Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, and framed pictures of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, began to appear at rallies last weekend.

Palestine Action Group Sydney has asked supporters to refrain from displaying terrorist symbols, but only as a tactical move to prevent the police from shutting down rallies.

“We urge rally attendees not to bring any flags, symbols or printed depictions which might be deemed illegal due to their association with proscribed terrorist groups under Australian law,” the group said on Sunday.

A pro-Palestine protester displays a flag mimicking the flag of terrorist group Hezbollah. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“We do not agree with these laws or the way they are being enforced and we have pointed out the hypocritical way this issue has been discussed by politicians and media outlets who are busy supporting the terrorist state of Israel.

“But we don’t want to see people getting in potentially serious legal trouble, or giving the police any reason to make arrests at the rally, or to prevent us from holding future protests. Please assist protest organisers and marshals by not bringing these items.”

Mr Minns also said the police would act on any vilification of the Jewish community.

“We cannot allow a situation where permissive anti-Semitism creeps into the public dialogue because a certain group in our community believe that kind of racism is okay. It’s not okay,” he said.

“I want to make it clear that if there’s any breaches in protests, in public sermons, in speeches over this weekend, it will be met with very strict laws in Australia and in NSW in relation to hate speech.”

Originally published as NSW Police brace for October 7 anti-Israel protests