Demonstrators march through Cairns during a rally in solidarity with Palestine. [Getty]
Australian police have sought to block a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Oct. 6 and 7, one year since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Police held talks with the organisers of the rally but said they were not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely, and would approach the court for a ban, New South Wales state police said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“The first priority … is the safety of the participants and the wider community,” police said.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated on Tuesday after Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s air and ground campaign against the Hezbollah, a Lebanese group backed by Tehran.
Israel has vowed a “painful response”.
The Palestine Action Group Sydney said on Facebook the move by the police to ban protests was an attack on fundamental democratic rights.
“We have a right to demonstrate … the Palestine Action Group unequivocally opposes this attempt to silence protests,” it said.
Australia has seen a rise in hate incidents following the Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned any alleged public displays of terror group symbols.
An anti-war protest outside a defence exhibition in Melbourne last month turned violent injuring two dozen officers as police used sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays to control parts of the crowd that turned hostile at times.
NSW Premier Chris Minns expressed his full support for the police decision, stating, “Police have made this decision about the form 1 in line with crowd management and safety.”
He emphasised the priority of community safety, saying, “It’s our responsibility to work together to maintain the cohesive, harmonious, and safe community we have in NSW.”
This decision follows weekend protests that led to a heated exchange between opposition leader Peter Dutton and Labor.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke accused Dutton of “raising the temperature” of the public debate surrounding the Middle East conflict.
