‘Massive disruption': Police issue major warning as pro-Palestinian demonstrators prepare to shut down Harbour Bridge sparking commuter chaos
On Saturday NSW Police and Premier Chris Minns were handed a significant blow after Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected an application to deem the Palestine Action Group's Sydney Harbour Bridge demonstration unlawful.
Despite police stating the march would put 'public safety' in jeopardy and force the city to a grinding halt, Justice Rigg said the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech outweighed any other argument.
'The application by the commissioner should be refused,' she said in her judgment with protestors also afforded immunity from a litany of offences including blocking or obstructing traffic or pedestrians.
The last-minute court ruling has left authorities scrambling as Police Minister Yasmine Catley pleaded for Sydneysiders to avoid using the Harbour Bridge at all costs.
'Make no mistake there is going to be massive, massive disruption ... there will be significant delays,' Ms Catley said.
Protestors are expected to congregate as Sydney's Lang Park and will stream across the Harbour Bridge from 1pm onwards.
The bridge will be closed in both directions between 11.30am and 4pm on Sunday afternoon, with the march set to last more than three hours in total.
According to organisers Palestine Action Group the protest will begin at York and Grosvenor streets at 1:30pm with demonstrators then crossing the bridge and finishing up their march at Bradfield Park, North Sydney.
Organisers believe over 50,000 people could attend the protest.
Conditions are set to stay soggy and wet with 10 to 35mm of showers forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Police are urging commuters to steer clear of the CBD completely, and to expect severe traffic delays with the protest not only set to impact the bridge but causing a flow on effect throughout the entire public transport and road network.
'There will be significant delays and disruption so if you must travel, allow plenty of additional journey time, particularly for any critical travel, such as going to the Airport,' police said in a statement.
Authorities have warned of "extensive queues" in both directions of the Sydney Harbour Bride and Tunnel which will extend to the Western Distributor, Anzac Bridge and the Rozelle Interchange as well as the Eastern Distributor in the south and the Gore Hill Freeway and Lane Cove Tunnel in the north.
Major CBD corridors including York Street, Clarence Street, the Cahill Expressway, the Western Distributor and Grosvenor Street will be closed in addition to substantial chunks of the Pacific Highway, Blue Street and Lavender Street.
Bus services using the brige will terminate at either North Sydney or Wynward between 11:30am and 4pm with trains set to run as normal.
However Transport NSW has warned of protracted delays to the rail network.
The Metro will also be closed for planned trackwork's, and the L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford light rail will truncate at Town Hall.
Police have launched a high-visibility response to the planned demonstration with Acting Deputy Commissioner Mckenna stating 'the whole gambit of police' will be in attendance' and would be 'right along the route' of the march.
'Police will have a high-visibility presence at the operation today and will work with participants to ensure there are no breaches of the peace,' Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Adam Johnson said at a press conference on Sunday.
'Any unlawful or dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated or any actions that risk the safety of others. Police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence,' he said.
Hundreds of officers will be deployed from local and specialist commands and will be briefed from 8am with the aim of keeping the public safe and limiting interruptions where possible.
Aciting Deputy Commissioner McKenna reiterated that protestors were not exempt from numerous charged.
"They're not exempt from malicious damage, they're not exempt from assaults, they're not exempt from hate speeches, hate crime, that sort of thing," he said.
Palestine Action Group organiser and media spokesperson Josh Lees remained defiant amid fierce scrutiny and said the Supreme Court's decision was 'absolutely mind blowing."
He said there was an intense 'urgency to this situation' in regard to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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Sydney Harbour Bridge protests were ‘concerning' for the community
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The Advertiser
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Protesters seize momentum after huge Gaza bridge march
Australia-wide protests are in the works against Israel's war on Gaza as organisers seize momentum from a massive demonstration on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More than 100,000 people braved heavy rain for a pro-Palestine protest at the landmark bridge on Sunday and similar rallies in Melbourne and Adelaide. Dubbed the March for Humanity, it aimed to highlight what the United Nations has described as the "worst-case scenario of famine" and the 22-month-long Israeli offensive on the blockaded enclave. But the organising Palestine Action Group said it had bigger plans in store with a national march slated for August 24. Groups in Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide will join the mass demonstration, and spokesperson Josh Lees forecast many more protests in regional towns. "We want to build on this massive momentum that we have now coming out of the massive March for Humanity," he said. "There are pro-Palestine movements going on, protests against genocide taking place in every town and city in Australia." NSW Premier Chris Minns was adamant he did not misread community sentiment in trying to stop the mass demonstration from going ahead. Organisers estimate about 300,000 people attended Sunday's march, while police put the figure around 90,000. "We can't just knock out the bridge every weekend. There can be a demonstration every weekend ... no one should assume it's open season on the bridge," the premier said. There were no plans to march over the Harbour Bridge again any time soon, Mr Lees said. Mr Minns said the government would closely study the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the mass rally to go ahead the following day, to see if it set a precedent. He thought police "were on firm ground" rejecting the protesters' application but did not rule out any measures to set limits for how the bridge could be used in future. Mr Lees said it was "astonishing" the government could view Sunday's "inspiring display of humanity" and think it should be prevented from happening again. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not surprised by the monumental turnout in Sydney. "(Australians) want to show their concern at people being deprived of food and water and essential services," he said. Gaza's population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including one million people who face emergency levels, according to the United Nations. Several Minns government MPs and Sydney's lord mayor took part in the march and Mr Minns struck a conciliatory tone, praising demonstrators for the peaceful nature of the rally. Federal Labor MP Ed Husic said voters had sent a strong message to politicians "There was a lot of middle Australia there and that's something that can't be ignored," he told ABC Radio. NSW Police praised the behaviour of the protesters but forced them to turn around mid-march, citing the large number of people taking part. Police did not make any arrests, and organisers and participants have questioned their characterisation of the protest as unsafe or chaotic. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned "the shutting down of a major city" for an overseas conflict but conceded the huge community concern around events in Gaza. "Ultimately Australians do want to see Gazans fed, they want to see the Israeli hostages released (and) they want to see the war end," she said. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The ensuing retaliatory bombardment and blockade of Gaza have killed more than 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. The federal government on Monday announced an additional $20 million to support aid organisations in delivering food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support in Gaza. Australia-wide protests are in the works against Israel's war on Gaza as organisers seize momentum from a massive demonstration on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More than 100,000 people braved heavy rain for a pro-Palestine protest at the landmark bridge on Sunday and similar rallies in Melbourne and Adelaide. Dubbed the March for Humanity, it aimed to highlight what the United Nations has described as the "worst-case scenario of famine" and the 22-month-long Israeli offensive on the blockaded enclave. But the organising Palestine Action Group said it had bigger plans in store with a national march slated for August 24. Groups in Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide will join the mass demonstration, and spokesperson Josh Lees forecast many more protests in regional towns. "We want to build on this massive momentum that we have now coming out of the massive March for Humanity," he said. "There are pro-Palestine movements going on, protests against genocide taking place in every town and city in Australia." NSW Premier Chris Minns was adamant he did not misread community sentiment in trying to stop the mass demonstration from going ahead. Organisers estimate about 300,000 people attended Sunday's march, while police put the figure around 90,000. "We can't just knock out the bridge every weekend. There can be a demonstration every weekend ... no one should assume it's open season on the bridge," the premier said. There were no plans to march over the Harbour Bridge again any time soon, Mr Lees said. Mr Minns said the government would closely study the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the mass rally to go ahead the following day, to see if it set a precedent. He thought police "were on firm ground" rejecting the protesters' application but did not rule out any measures to set limits for how the bridge could be used in future. Mr Lees said it was "astonishing" the government could view Sunday's "inspiring display of humanity" and think it should be prevented from happening again. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not surprised by the monumental turnout in Sydney. "(Australians) want to show their concern at people being deprived of food and water and essential services," he said. Gaza's population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including one million people who face emergency levels, according to the United Nations. Several Minns government MPs and Sydney's lord mayor took part in the march and Mr Minns struck a conciliatory tone, praising demonstrators for the peaceful nature of the rally. Federal Labor MP Ed Husic said voters had sent a strong message to politicians "There was a lot of middle Australia there and that's something that can't be ignored," he told ABC Radio. NSW Police praised the behaviour of the protesters but forced them to turn around mid-march, citing the large number of people taking part. Police did not make any arrests, and organisers and participants have questioned their characterisation of the protest as unsafe or chaotic. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned "the shutting down of a major city" for an overseas conflict but conceded the huge community concern around events in Gaza. "Ultimately Australians do want to see Gazans fed, they want to see the Israeli hostages released (and) they want to see the war end," she said. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The ensuing retaliatory bombardment and blockade of Gaza have killed more than 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. The federal government on Monday announced an additional $20 million to support aid organisations in delivering food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support in Gaza. Australia-wide protests are in the works against Israel's war on Gaza as organisers seize momentum from a massive demonstration on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More than 100,000 people braved heavy rain for a pro-Palestine protest at the landmark bridge on Sunday and similar rallies in Melbourne and Adelaide. Dubbed the March for Humanity, it aimed to highlight what the United Nations has described as the "worst-case scenario of famine" and the 22-month-long Israeli offensive on the blockaded enclave. But the organising Palestine Action Group said it had bigger plans in store with a national march slated for August 24. Groups in Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide will join the mass demonstration, and spokesperson Josh Lees forecast many more protests in regional towns. "We want to build on this massive momentum that we have now coming out of the massive March for Humanity," he said. "There are pro-Palestine movements going on, protests against genocide taking place in every town and city in Australia." NSW Premier Chris Minns was adamant he did not misread community sentiment in trying to stop the mass demonstration from going ahead. Organisers estimate about 300,000 people attended Sunday's march, while police put the figure around 90,000. "We can't just knock out the bridge every weekend. There can be a demonstration every weekend ... no one should assume it's open season on the bridge," the premier said. There were no plans to march over the Harbour Bridge again any time soon, Mr Lees said. Mr Minns said the government would closely study the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the mass rally to go ahead the following day, to see if it set a precedent. He thought police "were on firm ground" rejecting the protesters' application but did not rule out any measures to set limits for how the bridge could be used in future. Mr Lees said it was "astonishing" the government could view Sunday's "inspiring display of humanity" and think it should be prevented from happening again. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not surprised by the monumental turnout in Sydney. "(Australians) want to show their concern at people being deprived of food and water and essential services," he said. Gaza's population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including one million people who face emergency levels, according to the United Nations. Several Minns government MPs and Sydney's lord mayor took part in the march and Mr Minns struck a conciliatory tone, praising demonstrators for the peaceful nature of the rally. Federal Labor MP Ed Husic said voters had sent a strong message to politicians "There was a lot of middle Australia there and that's something that can't be ignored," he told ABC Radio. NSW Police praised the behaviour of the protesters but forced them to turn around mid-march, citing the large number of people taking part. Police did not make any arrests, and organisers and participants have questioned their characterisation of the protest as unsafe or chaotic. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned "the shutting down of a major city" for an overseas conflict but conceded the huge community concern around events in Gaza. "Ultimately Australians do want to see Gazans fed, they want to see the Israeli hostages released (and) they want to see the war end," she said. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The ensuing retaliatory bombardment and blockade of Gaza have killed more than 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. The federal government on Monday announced an additional $20 million to support aid organisations in delivering food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support in Gaza. Australia-wide protests are in the works against Israel's war on Gaza as organisers seize momentum from a massive demonstration on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More than 100,000 people braved heavy rain for a pro-Palestine protest at the landmark bridge on Sunday and similar rallies in Melbourne and Adelaide. Dubbed the March for Humanity, it aimed to highlight what the United Nations has described as the "worst-case scenario of famine" and the 22-month-long Israeli offensive on the blockaded enclave. But the organising Palestine Action Group said it had bigger plans in store with a national march slated for August 24. Groups in Melbourne, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide will join the mass demonstration, and spokesperson Josh Lees forecast many more protests in regional towns. "We want to build on this massive momentum that we have now coming out of the massive March for Humanity," he said. "There are pro-Palestine movements going on, protests against genocide taking place in every town and city in Australia." NSW Premier Chris Minns was adamant he did not misread community sentiment in trying to stop the mass demonstration from going ahead. Organisers estimate about 300,000 people attended Sunday's march, while police put the figure around 90,000. "We can't just knock out the bridge every weekend. There can be a demonstration every weekend ... no one should assume it's open season on the bridge," the premier said. There were no plans to march over the Harbour Bridge again any time soon, Mr Lees said. Mr Minns said the government would closely study the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the mass rally to go ahead the following day, to see if it set a precedent. He thought police "were on firm ground" rejecting the protesters' application but did not rule out any measures to set limits for how the bridge could be used in future. Mr Lees said it was "astonishing" the government could view Sunday's "inspiring display of humanity" and think it should be prevented from happening again. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not surprised by the monumental turnout in Sydney. "(Australians) want to show their concern at people being deprived of food and water and essential services," he said. Gaza's population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including one million people who face emergency levels, according to the United Nations. Several Minns government MPs and Sydney's lord mayor took part in the march and Mr Minns struck a conciliatory tone, praising demonstrators for the peaceful nature of the rally. Federal Labor MP Ed Husic said voters had sent a strong message to politicians "There was a lot of middle Australia there and that's something that can't be ignored," he told ABC Radio. NSW Police praised the behaviour of the protesters but forced them to turn around mid-march, citing the large number of people taking part. Police did not make any arrests, and organisers and participants have questioned their characterisation of the protest as unsafe or chaotic. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned "the shutting down of a major city" for an overseas conflict but conceded the huge community concern around events in Gaza. "Ultimately Australians do want to see Gazans fed, they want to see the Israeli hostages released (and) they want to see the war end," she said. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The ensuing retaliatory bombardment and blockade of Gaza have killed more than 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. The federal government on Monday announced an additional $20 million to support aid organisations in delivering food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support in Gaza.
The Australian
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- The Australian
NSW reviews Harbour Bridge march amid ‘cultural precedent' fears
NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned the Sydney Harbour Bridge pro-Palestine march does not mean 'open season' for protests at the state's major landmarks, as a leading constitutional lawyer says the decision to allow the rally bestowed unprecedented authority on its organiser. Mr Minns on Monday said his government was investigating the implications of a Supreme Court's judgment against a police bid to shut down the Palestine Action Group's March for Humanity, fearing it could provide a legal pathway for follow-up protests. 'We're examining the judgment to determine whether this is a precedent or there's circumstances in relation to the judgment that specifically make it applicable to just that form one (protest) application,' Mr Minns said. 'No one should believe that it's open season on the bridge. 'We're not going to have a situation where the anti-vaxxer group has it one Saturday, and then the weekend after that Critical Mass takes over, and then the weekend after that we have an environmental cause, and then the weekend after that because of an industrial dispute. I think you'd accept that that's a situation that a big city like Sydney couldn't cope with.' No other protest groups had yet lodged an application to march on the Harbour Bridge, Mr Minns said, and the Palestine Action Group had no plans for an immediate follow-up. Mr Minns and NSW police opposed the march in its lead-up, saying it would cause 'chaos'. Constitutional lawyer and academic Greg Craven said NSW Supreme Court judge Belinda Rigg's decision on Saturday would carry a 'very weak' legal precedent in isolation for future bridge protests, but it gave authority to experienced protest organisers like PAG's Josh Lees. 'What you've got is a single decision of a single judge of the Supreme Court of NSW. So in strict legal terms, it doesn't bind the rest of the Supreme Court,' Mr Craven told The Australian. 'The weirdest thing about this is the extent to which Lees was treated almost as an expert witness. That is very unusual and the implications of that are huge, because it means that if you're applying for protests then, theoretically, you can get someone like Lees standing up, and he can simply justify the protest on his own personality. 'He's literally in a situation where he can now run protests with a stamp on it 'as approved by the NSW Supreme Court'. It's almost like a sponsorship.' Mr Craven said it made the argument for large-scale protests more credible and was a 'crazy' legal achievement. 'Whatever you think of Lees or his group, it's an astonishing victory to be able to appropriate the biggest national symbol in Australia,' he said. 'To be able to enlist the judiciary – in an unbiased way – to give legitimacy to that, I think that's one of the craziest legal achievements that I've seen in my life.' Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Alex Ryvchin took aim at PAG for its role in the march, arguing it made the protest more divisive and 'ignored' the plight of hostages held by Hamas. 'Our national landmarks are there to bring Australians together. This march did not do that,' Mr Ryvchin said. 'While the majority of those who marched were no doubt there in solidarity with Gazan civilians and do not harbour pro-Hamas views, the organisers are the same group that held a pro-Palestinian rally as the October 7 massacre was still unfolding.' The Palestine Action Group earlier on Monday said the March for Humanity had been misrepresented by police and politicians in the hours after it dispersed. Protesters in NSW are required only to provide police a week's notice for any planned demonstration, during which time authorities can decide to challenge the authorisation of the protest in the Supreme Court – usually citing safety concerns, as was the case ahead of the Harbour Bridge march. James Dowling Science and Health Reporter James Dowling is a reporter for The Australian's Sydney bureau. He previously worked as a cadet journalist writing for the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and NewsWire, in addition to this masthead. As an intern at The Age he was nominated for a Quill award for News Reporting in Writing. Nation Their lives were turned upside down by October 7 and the rise in anti-Semitism in Australia. In a new book, prominent Jewish women reflect on their experience. Politics With AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw leaving the post because of the toll on family, Anthony Albanese has announced Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett will replace him. She pledged to 'keep Australians safe'.
