A planned pro-Palestine march through the streets of Sydney on Sunday has been scrapped in favour of a “static demonstration” at Hyde Park after the premier, Chris Minns, vowed to stop any marches.
Event co-organiser Amal Naser said the decision had been made to avoid dealing with legal issues related to obtaining police protection for a march.
“We’ll be holding a static demonstration. We’re going to be out, loud and proud and we’re not going to bow down to the pressures that we’ve been experiencing from police and the premier,” she said on Thursday.
“We have full intention to march next week and every week after that as long as we need.”
Naser said New South Wales police had informed organisers they were “very unlikely” to have an application for future rallies approved. She vowed to launch a challenge in the supreme court if needed.
She said the demonstration was being held “in solidarity with the Palestinian people for what’s happening in Gaza right now”. She expected there to be speeches from activists and politicians.
Minns on Wednesday vowed to stop further pro-Palestinian marches after he’d earlier apologised for allowing Monday night’s event that ended with antisemitic slurs being hurled on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
The globally recognised Sydney venue had been lit up blue and white in support of Israel and the protesters had been allowed to march from town hall to the steps of the venue by police before the chanting and flare-throwing began.
“I really want to make it clear to the Jewish community that I want to apologise to them specifically, on behalf of the government and myself as the premier of NSW,” Minns said.
Video from the protest showed men chanting offensive slogans including “fuck the Jews” and “fuck Israel”. Event organisers claimed the troublemakers were few in number and had not been part of the broader event.
Minns has said he wanted to ensure what unfolded on Monday couldn’t happen again. He said the protesters had already “proven they’re not peaceful” and “the idea that they’re going to commandeer Sydney streets is not going to happen”.
The premier conceded he had not spoken to anyone from the Palestinian community in NSW.
Det Supt Jodi Radmore on Thursday warned that anyone acting illegally would be “dealt with”.
“If you want to come into the city or into any of our parks anywhere in NSW and commit an offence, you will be dealt with,” she said. Radmore refused to comment on the specifics of the Sunday plan.
The energy minister, Penny Sharpe, said the government had made it “very clear” that people should not participate in what she said would be an “unauthorised” rally on Sunday.
She warned that anyone who attended the event and did “the wrong thing” would feel “the full force of the law”.
Asked whether the rally could be “unauthorised” if it involved people gathering in a park, Sharpe said on Thursday: “Let’s not get into semantics here.”
“It’s pretty clear they applied to do a rally. That has been rejected. This gathering is now an unauthorised gathering,” she said.
Anyone planning a protest on public roads or spaces in NSW is generally required to apply to police at least seven days before the event for it to be classified as authorised.
Approval provides organisers and attendees protection from certain laws and a police presence.
Sharpe said the Hamas attack on Israel was “absolutely abhorrent” and she had a message for everyone who supported peace and was dealing with “a very difficult situation”.
“There are very good people across NSW and the actions of a few, particularly terrorists, should not be conflated with the good people of NSW and the Palestinian community in NSW”.
The NSW police deputy commissioner, David Hudson, had said the rally planned for Sunday would be “unauthorised” and announced police had formed Operation Shelter to deal with further protests and safety concerns within the Jewish community.
Hudson said the police “do not have the powers to stop people attending” but people who attended would not have the usual protections from being charged with obstructing traffic and other offences. Those comments were made before the organisers changed their plans on Thursday.
