Fight looms as Gaza protest planned for Sydney Harbour Bridge
Protesters have planned a "March for Humanity" across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in opposition to Israel limiting food deliveries to Gaza, which has brought the risk of mass hunger to two million citizens.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled Israel's actions as "quite clearly" a breach of international law, with protest organisers encouraging him to attend the proposed march to back up his words.
But New South Wales Premier Chris Minns was quick to oppose the protest, arguing his government "cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos".
"(We) cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice," he said on Monday.
"The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city … unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns."
NSW has a permit system that allows protest participants to block public roads and infrastructure, but police can go to court to deny permission.
Protest organisers Palestine Action Group noted the bridge was closed for the 2023 World Pride march and for the filming of the movie Fall Guy in that same year.
Given Mr Minns cited a lack of preparation time as a reason to halt the march, spokesman Josh Lees queried if he would support it taking place a week later.
"The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace, to stop mass starvation," he said.
"We invite everyone who is appalled by the deliberate starvation of two million people to join us, including the prime minister, who has recognised that Israel is clearly breaching international law."
Weekly pro-Palestine protests have been taking place in the Sydney city centre and other state capitals since Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to designated terror organisation Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack.
NSW Police confirmed they had received the required paperwork for Sunday's protest.
Senior officers would consult relevant stakeholders, including protest organisers, about other routes that could be taken, a spokesperson said.
In 2024, the force challenged protests coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, citing public safety concerns.
But the court bid was dropped when organisers scrapped one protest and shifted the route of another so it did not pass Sydney's Great Synagogue.
The NSW government has since passed controversial laws granting police powers to restrict protests near places of worship.
Pro-democracy groups have repeatedly argued the laws have emboldened the force to "act with impunity".
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