Restrictions on protest marches in Sydney’s CBD and east will continue for another 14 days as NSW Police hold concerns for public safety ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit next week.
“What I fear is a large-scale public assembly with so much animosity could present a risk to community safety,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
The public assembly restrictions allow police to blanket-refuse all Form 1 applications for protest marches in impacted areas, meaning protesters do not have protections from some offences like obstructing traffic.
The decision comes as pro-Palestine activists prepare for a nationwide day of protests on Monday against Herzog, who was invited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit Australia after the Bondi terror attack.
Lanyon said he was not confident police could adequately protect the wider community, including the “still recovering” eastern suburbs, if the march were authorised. The police commissioner said there were 10 antisemitic incidents under investigation in NSW from the past two weeks.
The Palestine Action Group plans to rally at Town Hall and march to NSW Parliament, which are both included in the restricted area.
Groups, including Labor Friends of Palestine, say Herzog’s visit will only inflame tensions in the community. Herzog was pictured signing a bomb set to be dropped into Gaza in 2023, and a United Nations commission of inquiry found Herzog and other Israeli officials were “liable to prosecution for incitement to genocide” for comments made after the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Also on Tuesday, the NSW government announced reforms to make it easier for teachers and principals who engage in racially motivated hate speech to be sacked by the regulator.
Jessica McSweeney is a reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald covering urban affairs and state politics.Connect via email.
