‘High prospect of conflict’: Rally ban gains support as woman arrested

Premier Chris Minns has backed NSW Police efforts to seek a Supreme Court challenge to prevent pro-Palestine rallies from proceeding over the long weekend, saying he believed there was a “high prospect of conflict” on Sydney’s streets around the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

With protest organisers the Palestinian Action Group (PAG) decrying the attempt to block the assembly as an “attack on fundamental democratic rights”, Minns denied the move was an attempt to suppress freedom of speech, saying there was “no alternative” in light of police’s safety concerns.

The decision came as a 19-year-old woman who allegedly carried a flag bearing symbols of the terrorist group Hezbollah during the weekend’s pro-Palestinian protest was charged by NSW Police on Wednesday afternoon. After the woman presented to Kogarah Police Station, police arrested her and charged her with “public display of prohibited terrorist organisation symbol”.

The 19-year-old woman presented herself to Kogarah Police Station in Sydney.Credit: NSW Police

After confusion over whether NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb had lodged the challenge with the Supreme Court, a spokeswoman late on Wednesday afternoon confirmed it had been received.

In a letter to protest organisers, NSW Police expressed concerns that “over a dozen planter boxes” within the Town Hall precinct would present a safety hazard to rally participants.

Other reasons outlined within the correspondence included impacting on people seeking to attend St Andrew’s Cathedral, and organisers underestimating the size of last weekend’s rally, with more than double the 2000 predicted attending.

“Based on recent public assemblies, I consider that the number of expected attendees will far exceed the estimate provided,” the letter said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has backed the call to block pro-Palestine protests from proceeding this weekend.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

While senior members of the government were wary the court could reject NSW Police’s application, Minns was adamant the “difficult decision” was the right one over a period of heightened tensions, particularly as the conflict in the Middle East teetered on a full-blown regional war.

“I want to make it clear we completely support police’s decision in relation to that application; the reasons are, it’s the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel. Obviously, community anger and concern on the streets is heightened as a result of that anniversary,” the premier said.

“It’s the long weekend in Sydney, and the police believe that there was a high prospect of conflict on the streets of Sydney, something that we couldn’t abide or stand by under the circumstances.”

The PAG indicated it would defend their application in a statement released on Tuesday, saying: “We intend on defending our right to protest and are determined to continue standing for justice for Palestine and Lebanon.”

Minns’ decision received support from federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who said he had shown “real leadership” throughout the initial attack on Israel and subsequent, year-long war in Gaza.

“I really pay credit to the NSW Premier [Chris Minns], who I think has shown leadership in relation to this particular issue and I think that’s recognised in the Jewish community as well,” Dutton said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on protesters to reconsider the decision to assemble, saying while he recognised it was a “very difficult time” for many Australians, “October 7 is not the time for demonstrations to occur.”

“It’s not a time to raise the temperature. It’s a time to try to make sure that social cohesion in Australia is valued,” he said.

Minns acknowledged that after 51 weeks of successive protests, largely without incident, the vast majority of attendees were there supporting Palestinian rights as opposed to Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organisation, he said.

But organisers’ acknowledgement that they were unable to prevent flags supporting the Lebanese Shia political party and militant group reappearing proved to be one of the critical factors in the decision, Minns said

“We can’t stop the violence in the Middle East from Sydney, and we can’t import the violence from the Middle East to Sydney. That’s a fundamental but basic principle in NSW,” he said.

Greens justice spokesperson Sue Higginson criticised the move by NSW Police to prohibit the assembly was “harsh and oppressive”, saying challenging the right to protest due to a “few planter boxes … is cruel, callous and frankly dangerous”.

With additional reporting from Olivia Ireland and Josefine Ganko

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