NSW Police have made a legal bid to stop planned protests going ahead this long weekend in Sydney on October 6 and 7.
Organisers of the protest, the Palestine Action Group Sydney, called it an “attack on fundamental democratic rights” and said it would proceed with the planned action.
It comes days after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed it’s investigating Hezbollah flags that were on display at rallies last weekend.
Here’s the latest.
NSW protests
This weekend, the Palestine Action Group Sydney planned to stage demonstrations in the CBD to mark one year since the Israel-Hamas war began.
State rules specify organisers need to inform police about their plans to hold a rally, including details about expected crowd sizes and duration of the rally.
NSW Police said officials negotiated with the group – who had submitted the relevant details of the protest – who concluded they “are not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely.”
Police have now applied to the NSW Supreme Court to stop the two days of protests from going ahead.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has backed the decision, saying: “It’s our responsibility to work together to ensure we keep this cohesive, harmonious, safe community that we have in New South Wales.”
The punishment for knowingly attending a banned protest risks includes a $550 fine and six months imprisonment.
The Palestine Action Group said it will “refuse to concede to political attacks“, declaring it will defend its right to protest.
Last weekend
Last Sunday, cities across Australia held rallies organised by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), including Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.
Thousands of people attended the protests, labelled ‘Day of Action for Gaza’, carrying Palestinian and Lebanese flags.
However, footage and photos showed some protesters waving Hezbollah flags and holding portraits of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who had been killed by Israeli forces hours earlier. Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organisation in Australia.
Hate symbols
The AFP confirmed it had received “six reports” of possible hate symbols appearing at rallies in Melbourne.
NSW police have also arrested a 19-year-old woman for allegedly carrying a banned symbol during a Sydney protest.
Legislation banning public displays of symbols linked to terrorist organisations passed last year and came into effect in January.
In a statement to TDA, the AFP confirmed last weekend’s protests were the first time it had used its powers to investigate under the new terrorist symbol laws.
Political debate
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Government was “concerned about some of the terrorist symbols”, adding “there’s no place for mourning a terrorist leader”, in reference to portraits of Nasrallah at the rallies.
In response to questions from the media, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the Government had the power to cancel any visas of people who had attended the protests and carried hate symbols.
Burke later clarified authorities hadn’t confirmed if any protest attendees had been visa holders.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said any public display support for Hezbollah was “unacceptable”.
He questioned whether the AFP needed extra powers to arrest anyone who had been allegedly carrying hate symbols during public protests.
“If the laws are inadequate then… the Parliament should deal with it as a matter of urgency.”
In a statement to TDA, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the Government “has faith in our police forces to enforce the law”.
