The NSW Supreme Court will not stop a pro-Palestine protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge from going ahead tomorrow.
Justice Belinda Rigg said the court would not be blocking the Palestine Action Group’s application to protest on the Harbour Bridge, despite police and the NSW Government trying to halt the rally.
Rigg said “The application by the (police) commissioner should be refused” in court today while handing down the decison.
(Wolter Peeters)
The decision, as to whether or not the group would be allowed to protest on the Harbour tomorrow, was supposed to be handed down yesterday, but was delayed until this morning.
An estimated 10,000 protesters are expected to show up.
NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell told reporters yesterday that closing the bridge for the protest would impact 40,000 drivers.
“It will be in excess of six hours,” he said.
He has submitted an application to block the protest in the Supreme Court.
NSW Police are hoping the court blocks the protest, saying they were not given enough notice to plan a multi-agency response and that the protest poses a risk to the public and officers.
“There’s a complete operation that requires a multi-agency response, including Transport of NSW, that has to redivert these vehicles away, that includes probably foot traffic as well,” Thurtell said yesterday.
“There’s lots of things that need to go into place for us to facilitate what the organisers say is a one-hour operation. There’s no way this is a one-hour operation for police.”
The Palestine Action Group have offered to push back the protest several weeks to allow police to facilitate the demonstration, but maintains it will oppose police blocking the protest entirely in court.
“This is an iconic symbol in Australia and we know a mass march over our Sydney Harbour Bridge will send the most powerful message we possibly can to Israel to stop this genocide, to the people of Gaza, that the whole world has not forgotten them,” organiser Josh Lees told media outside court today.”It’s a message to our own government as well.”
Premier Chris Minns said yesterday that he recognises thousands of people want to protest and hopes to negotiate with organisers for an alternative route not on the city’s “central artery”.
“The last thing we want, and the last thing police want, is chaos in Sydney streets,” he said.
“We recognise people want to protest. We’re hoping, depending on the outcome of the court case this afternoon, common sense can prevail.”
He has not yet made a statement following the court’s decision.
A pro-Israeli group dubbed “Never again is now” also filed an application for a subsequent protest at the Harbour Tunnel on Sunday.
