This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/29/pro-palestine-group-vow-to-march-across-sydney-harbour-bridge-as-court-battle-nsw-government-looms-ntwnfb

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Pro-Palestine group vows to march across Sydney Harbour Bridge as potential court battle with NSW government looms Pro-Palestine protest group says ‘we will see them in court’ after police block Sydney Harbour Bridge march
(about 3 hours later)
Premier Chris Minns says he is not questioning the motives of the protesters, just the proposed route of the march Sydney-based group say weekend demonstration ‘must go ahead’ despite police knocking back application
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Organisers of a pro-Palestine protest involving a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge have vowed to proceed despite the New South Wales government rejecting that route. Organisers of a pro-Palestine protest have vowed to fight the New South Wales police in court after police decided to not facilitate a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge this weekend.
On Sunday, the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group announced it would march across the bridge to the US consulate this weekend, veering from its usual course in the near-weekly rally though the CBD. On Tuesday afternoon, the deputy police commissioner, Peter McKenna, said police had rejected an application from the organisers proposing a route across the bridge to the US consulate, but he said police were open to negotiating alternative routes.
However the organisers, the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group said in a statement after the police announcement that the protest “must go ahead”.
“Hundreds are starving to death… the people of Australia, and NSW, have had enough of this atrocity and are determined to take a powerful stand to make it stop,” spokesperson Josh Lees said. “We will see them in court.”
The group announced the march on Sunday, which veers from its usual course in the near-weekly rally through the CBD. News of the protest has since been widely shared on social media, with thousands expected to attend.
The group offered to delay the bridge march by a week after the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the government would not support a protest of that scale and nature. The group later said it was open to delaying it again by two to three weeks if the government was willing to work with them.The group offered to delay the bridge march by a week after the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the government would not support a protest of that scale and nature. The group later said it was open to delaying it again by two to three weeks if the government was willing to work with them.
Minns on Tuesday said he was not questioning the motives of the protesters, just the route. He acknowledged there was widespread community concern about the situation in Gaza. The premier said on Tuesday morning, prior to the police’s decision, that he would not close the bridge “for any circumstances” when asked about the group’s offer to delay.
Speaking on ABC Sydney radio, the premier said he would not close the bridge “for any circumstances” when asked about the group’s offer to delay. Speaking on ABC Sydney radio, Minns said he was not questioning the motives of the protesters, just the route. He acknowledged there was widespread community concern about the war in Gaza.
“I’m asking the organisers to work with NSW police on an alternative route. To shut [the bridge] down in these circumstances would be beyond the resources of the NSW government,” Minns said.“I’m asking the organisers to work with NSW police on an alternative route. To shut [the bridge] down in these circumstances would be beyond the resources of the NSW government,” Minns said.
Three unions have endorsed the march across the bridge, including the Nurses Association, the Australian Services Union and the Electrical Trades Union. Anthony D’Adam, a Labor MP who Minns sacked from his parliamentary secretary roles after he criticised police tactics at a pro-Palestine demonstration, told Guardian Australia he was sympathetic to the arguments about not enough notice being given. But he urged on Monday for police to facilitate the protest with the organisers within one to two weeks.
He said the assertion that it would cause chaos was overstated and past events showed it had led only to “some inconvenience”.
The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, also backed the government working with the organisers to facilitate the protest at some point “if the community sentiment is significant enough”.
She said it would be a “powerful symbol” to demonstrate against the “starvation in Gaza”.
Three unions, alongside 300 other organisations, have endorsed the march across the bridge, including the Nurses Association, the Australian Services Union and the Electrical Trades Union.
Sign up: AU Breaking News emailSign up: AU Breaking News email
A spokesperson for the Palestine Action Group, Josh Lees, said it was “determined to go ahead this Sunday”. The group submitted what is known as a “form one” to police. The form is a notification to hold a public assembly that, if accepted by police, protects those attending from being potentially charged under anti-protest laws.
In a video posted to social media on Tuesday, Lees pointed to Minns’ comments in which he claimed the premier “made clear” he was not opposing the protest marching across the bridge because of the timing. Now that organisers have vowed to challenge the police’s decision to deny the application, the supreme court will have the final say over whether protesters will be afforded legal protections or not.
“If the police and the premier want to stop us from protesting, they have to take us to the supreme court, and we’re prepared to fight them in court if necessary,” Lees said. Last year, climate group Rising Tide, which blockaded the Newcastle port, went ahead with a protest despite the courts siding with police.
“Obviously, we wish it won’t come to that. We would rather have the authorities in agreement that we should all be standing together against the genocide.” McKenna said during a press conference that “months and months” of planning goes into closing the bridge. Asked what the minimum amount of notice is that the police would need to facilitate such a protest, he said it was “dependent on many, many factors”.
Lees told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that the group had met with police at midday, and that the force was still considering its position on the protest.
The group has submitted what is known as a “form one” to police. The form is a notification to hold a public assembly that, if accepted by police, would protect those attending from being potentially charged under anti-protest laws. If police reject the form then the group have said they’re prepared to challenge it in the supreme court.
Minns said he accepted “this is a protest that many people want to have”.
“Many people are worried about aid and humanitarian care getting into Gaza, and I want the killing to stop as well,” he said. “I’m particularly concerned, like a lot of people, about the number of innocent children that have been killed.
“I accept that this is a protest that many people want to have. 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.
Sign up to Breaking News AustraliaSign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaksGet the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotion
“If I give the example of a Sydney marathon, there’s about 10 months of planning,” he said. “We don’t just put a cone down in the north of a road and blow a whistle and say, ‘yep, you’re all right across’.”
McKenna said the police will have resources on standby in case the protest does go ahead.
During a press conference held by the organisers before the police decision on Tuesday, member for Newtown, Jenny Leong, said they wanted to avoid a situation like the 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, where the rally was declared an authorised public assembly minutes before it was scheduled to start.
“I personally remember trying to get someone to stop the trams because there were so many people gathered, but they didn’t have the official approval to stop the trams yet, because it was not yet concluded in the court,” she said.
Organisers have also pointed out the bridge is regularly closed at short notice for maintenance or emergencies, and was closed for the historic 2000 march for reconciliation and the 2023 World Pride march.
Minns said he accepted “this is a protest that many people want to have”.
“Many people are worried about aid and humanitarian care getting into Gaza, and I want the killing to stop as well,” he said. “I’m particularly concerned, like a lot of people, about the number of innocent children that have been killed.
“I accept that this is a protest that many people want to have. 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.
“But even if we had a massive heads-up to do it, I think common sense has to play a role here. 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.”“But even if we had a massive heads-up to do it, I think common sense has to play a role here. 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.”
Anthony D’Adam, a Labor MP who Minns sacked from his parliamentary secretary roles after he criticised police tactics at a pro-Palestine demonstration, told Guardian Australia he was sympathetic to the arguments about not being enough notice. But he urged on Monday for police to facilitate the protest with the organisers within one to two weeks.
He said the assertion that it would cause chaos was overstated and past events showed it had led only to “some inconvenience”.
The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, also backed the government working with the organisers to facilitate the protest at some point “if the community sentiment is significant enough”.
She said it would be a “powerful symbol” to demonstrate against the “starvation in Gaza”.
Palestine Action Group’s social media post announcing the March for Humanity over the bridge on 3 August “to save Gaza” has been widely shared. It highlighted the starvation of adults and children in Gaza.
The World Health Organization says it has recorded 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this year – 63 occurring in July, including 24 children under five.
Global condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza has sharply increased in recent weeks and days.Global condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza has sharply increased in recent weeks and days.
International humanitarian organisations have pleaded for attention on starvation and malnutrition concerns for civilians still remaining in Gaza.International humanitarian organisations have pleaded for attention on starvation and malnutrition concerns for civilians still remaining in Gaza.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday hospitals recorded 14 new deaths in the past 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths due to malnutrition to 147, including 88 children, since the start of the war in 2023.