A planned pro-Palestinian rally at an iconic Australian landmark has been banned by the NSW Supreme Court.
The Palestine Action Group last week announced a plan to march from Hyde Park in the CBD to the Sydney Opera House on Sunday to mark the October 7 anniversary and protest the war in Gaza.
NSW Police had challenged the proposed protest in the NSW Court of Appeal, part of the NSW Supreme Court, citing concerns about possible crowd crowding.
Organizers had estimated the protest could draw about 40,000 people through Sydney’s city center to the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House.
NSW Police had argued the number was too high and suggested the actual crowd size could be higher.
Chief Justice of NSW Andrew Bell, Justice Ian Harrison and Justice Stephen Free do not explicitly ban the protest.
However, organizers and protesters will not receive immunity from certain violations, such as obstructing traffic, if they allow the rally to proceed as planned.
The verdict also gives police the option to move forward or arrest those on the forecourt.
Free said a protest of that size “would have given rise to a risk of crushing the crowd,” a unanimous opinion from the court.
The judges, who issued the ban order on Thursday, had expressed concerns about the safety of the crowds during previous hearings.
Comparing the protest to a massive demonstration in August across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, where between 90,000 and 300,000 people marched in the rain, Chief Justice Andrew Bell said even more people could attend Sunday’s event.
He also noted that Macquarie Street could become a “narrow funnel” pushing protesters into a tight space.
NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure unless a court refuses permission following a police challenge.
An impromptu demonstration was organized by pro-Palestinian supporters on the forecourt of the legendary building in the days following the October 7, 2023 massacre.
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