NSW Police to try and block pro-Palestine march on Sydney Harbour Bridge

NSW Police will seek to block a planned pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, saying it is not viable to organise in such little time.

NSW Police will seek to block a planned pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge, setting the stage for a Supreme Court challenge with organisers.

The Palestine Action Group Sydney informed NSW Police over the weekend of plans for a march across the bridge on Sunday in response to mass starvation in Gaza.

Despite widespread union support, plans for the march were condemned by Premier Chris Minns who claimed Sydney could “descend into chaos” if it went ahead.

Addressing the march on Tuesday afternoon, NSW Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said the decision was made independently of the Premier.

“After careful deliberations we’ve made the decision … that we cannot facilitate that protest, that public assembly this Sunday,” he said.

“We understand there is some angst at the moment about what’s happening overseas.

“We understand and are sympathetic to that, but the NSW Police decision around this has to be first and foremost about public and police safety.”

Pro-Palestine protesters march in the Sydney CBD. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Mr McKenna claimed the protest would block emergency services from attending emergencies and put lives at risk.

He warned protesters if they attended on Sunday they would “not have the protections they would normally have at public assemblies”.

“They do not have the protections under the summary offences act,” he said.

“They may face themselves being caught up in a situation where they are lawfully moved on and if offences are committed, (they will be) arrested and charged.

“We certainly do not want that. We just want these people to have a think about it, see what they can do that is achievable for everyone.”

Mr McKenna said NSW Police would be lodging an application to the Supreme Court to have Sunday’s protest “deemed unlawful”.

“We’ll continue to talk with Mr Lees and the other applicants, and hopefully come to some reasonable outcome,” he said.

He said discussion with organisers would continue “during Supreme Court proceedings or after”, stating they had “only put forward one option”.

While the Palestine Action Group are yet to formally respond, they took a poke at the Premier in a social media post minutes after the police press conference.

In the post, a map is shown comparing the planned route for the protest march and the Sydney Marathon, for which the bridge will be closed on August 31.

NSW Police did not immediately respond to the filing of a Form One by organisers on Sunday, and instead discussed alternate routes with organisers, according to Mr Minns.

In NSW, protesters must file a Form 1 with NSW Police to receive protection from anti-assembly laws.

Addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon, Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees vowed to continue with the march despite Mr Minns’ criticism.

“The Sydney Harbour Bridge is such a powerful symbol,” Mr Lees said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns Sydney said Sydney could ‘descend into chaos’ if the march went ahead. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“This will be global news, if we have thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Sydneysiders on that bridge.

“We don’t live in a society where the Premier gets to decide who and where we get to protest.

“We have put forward our Form 1 to have our march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and that is our plan that this Sunday.

“We will be marching over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”

Mr Lees said organisers met with NSW Police at noon and were told they were yet to finalise their position regardless of Mr Minns’ comments.

Organisers said protesters would march across the bridge to the United States Consulate building in North Sydney, and police and the state government would “have to take us to the Supreme Court” to stop the march.

“If they do that, we’ll fight that in court, and as previously, we hope that we’ll win that case,” Mr Lees told ABC Radio Sydney’s Hamish Macdonald earlier on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to go down that road, we would rather the government would come on board and realise this is a crucial moment when we should all be standing together against a genocide.

“But, if we’re forced to go to court to defend the right for hundreds of thousands of people in Sydney to march across our Harbour Bridge to stop a genocide, then we’re prepared to do that.”

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the march would be an ‘incredibly powerful symbol’. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Asked about the protest, Mr Minns previously told ABC radio he “wouldn’t do it for any circumstances”.

“My argument here is, I can’t close down the central artery for a city as big as Sydney even on a short-term basis, even if we had a massive heads up to do it,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean police aren’t speaking with the protest organisers and saying: ‘where are there alternative routes for a march, not a static protest, but a march’.

“When it’s been closed in the past, and you can count on one hand over the last decade, when it’s happened, it’s been months and months and months in the preparation.”

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore urged the state government to find an alternative venue or, if “community sentiment is significant enough”, to allow use of the bridge.

“It would be an incredibly powerful symbol for our most iconic landmark to be the site of a demonstration against starvation in Gaza and in favour of lasting peace,” she said.

“The right to protest is paramount in a democracy, and the City has always stood with protesters using their voices to call for peace.”

Mr Minns said the state government would not support a “protest of this scale” on the bridge on Monday.

He claimed the protest would not only disrupt thousands of commuters but pose “real public safety concerns”, noting that only a week’s notice was provided.

In response, organisers proposed holding the event a week later.

“The Premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation.

“We call on the NSW authorities to work with us to plan this event and stand on the right side of history.

Sue Higginson was one of six Greens MPs and MLCs to sign the letter. Picture: NewsWire, Monique Harmer

“If the Premier says we need more time to plan such an event, then would he agree to support the March for Humanity a week later?”

A mayor arterial route between Sydney’s north and south, the Harbour Bridge has been closed multiple times in recent years.

In 2023, it was closed for the filming of The Fall Guy, staring Ryan Gosling, as well as the 2023 World Pride march.

The Palestine Action Group claim the bridge could “be temporarily closed to help stop a genocide”.

It comes amid mounting pressure on the Albanese government to take a firmer stance on the conflict in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed.

The Prime Minister accused Israel of “clearly” breaching international law over the weekend, but fell short of joining ally France in recognising a Palestinian state.

Israel has been accused of deliberately starving Gaza’s remaining two million inhabitants almost two years into Israel’s war on the enclave after Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was not to blame for the situation, adding there were “secure routes” for aid.

In an open letter, seven NSW Greens MPs called on NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley and Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell to approve the protest.

In their letter, the MPs called the march “important expression of political communication” and noted previous court challenges by police to pro-Palestine events.

“This is the defining humanitarian issue of our time and leaders across NSW will be remembered for their actions in this moment,” the letter said.

“This is not only an opportunity to reverse course on your crackdown against peaceful protests in NSW – it is a chance to demonstrate you are on the side of humanity”.

The letter was co-signed by MLCs Sue Higginson, Abigail Boyd, and Amanda Cohn and MPs Jenny Leong, Kobi Shetty, and Tamara Smith.