Pro-Palestine vigil to go ahead without police authorisation

A pro-Palestine candlelight vigil planned for the anniversary of October 7 will go ahead despite organisers agreeing in court on Thursday to not hold a march.

Protesters hold up pictures of dead Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the Hezbollah flag at a protest at Town Hall in Sydney Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

A pro-Palestine gathering will still go ahead in Sydney on the anniversary of the October 7 atrocities in Israel, with organisers claiming it will be a “vigil’’ not a march, insisting they therefore do not require police permission to hold it.

The organisers agreed in the NSW Supreme Court not to hold a march on Monday at the request of police, who reached an 11th-hour agreement with Palestine Action Group to allow a Sunday rally to go ahead with a revised route – taking it away from Sydney’s Great Synagogue.

The organisers then agreed not to hold a march on the following day, but said they would instead hold a “static vigil’’.

But this has infuriated Jewish groups, who are asking why they find it necessary to hold any type of event at all on the October 7 anniversary, with community leaders repeatedly calling for pro-Palestinian activists to leave that day alone.

“Just as we would object to people gathering to commemorate the first anniversary of September 11 in a celebratory fashion, we do in this case as well,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said.

Last week’s protest through the streets of Sydney CBD. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Thousands are expected to attend Sunday’s rally, the route of which will now be moved from Town Hall to begin at Hyde Park, in agreement with NSW Police.

As part of a backroom deal made while a Supreme Court hearing was in progress, pro-Palestine rally organisers agreed not to march past ­Sydney’s busiest synagogue in the CBD, but will be allowed to take an alternative route through the city.

Protest organisers also withdrew their request to hold a public assembly on Monday evening, but they later said they did not need police permission to gather at Town Hall for a “static vigil”.

However, if those gathering at Monday’s vigil later decide to march, it will be regarded as an ­“unauthorised” action, allowing police to use their full suite of powers in response.

Premier Chris Minns said if the protests were deemed unlawful police would have special powers to prevent a march from going ahead. Picture: Damian Shaw

Earlier on Thursday, Premier Chris Minns expressed concern that a “static vigil” could lead to a repeat of scenes where pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the Opera House in the days after the Hamas attack last year.

“Twelve months ago on the streets of Sydney, a protest or a vigil that was meant to take place in Town Hall ended up all the way down at the Opera House on the front pages of newspapers all around the world,” Mr Minns said.

“We cannot see a repeat of that.”

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna. Picture: NCA NewsWire

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told the court the original proposed route of Sunday’s rally gave him “great concern” due to its proximity to the Great Synagogue on Elizabeth St in the CBD, adding: “I think it would be quite provocative to gather that close to the Great Synagogue … it would be very difficult for police to ensure public safety. It could be a tinderbox.”

In a statement last night, police said they would not oppose the Sunday protest march after activists changed the route, moving it away from the synagogue, and had also agreed that “no flags, portraits or symbols connected to a prohibited terrorist organisation will be displayed”.

“(We) will work with organisers to conduct a high-visibility policing operation on Sunday to ensure the safety of the community,” the statement read.

“Police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence.”

Originally published as Pro-Palestine vigil to go ahead without police authorisation