A protest planned for this Sunday will not be allowed to culminate at the Sydney Opera House, a NSW court has ruled.
The organisers, Palestine Action Group (PAG), expected around 40,000 protesters.
Judges in the NSW Court of Appeal said it would be “irresponsible” to let it proceed, “irrespective of the political significance” of the event.
The protest will follow a different route through Sydney city instead.
Here’s the latest.
Background
Organisers of a rally in NSW need to inform police of their plans, including expected crowd size and planned route. The protest then either goes ahead, or police file a court application to block it.
PAG’s official notice to police said the purpose of the protest was to “oppose the war on Gaza” and call on the Federal Government to “enforce sanctions on Israel”.
NSW Police made a legal bid to stop it, citing public safety concerns.
Organisers had estimated Sunday’s rally would see roughly 40,000 people march through the city to the forecourt of the Opera House. The forecourt’s official capacity is 6,000 people.
In a post to social media, PAG said the band Crowded House had performed there to a crowd of 150,000 in 1996.
The organisers’ barrister, Felicity Graham, also said previous public events with large crowds at the Opera House, such as the light show Vivid, were capably managed.
Police argued the protest had “disaster written all over it”.
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Opera House
Opera House management told the court they had not been notified about planned march.
They flagged the site has by-laws that prevent public demonstrations.
Under those rules, police said protesters would not have access to legal protections normally available to people participating in an authorised assembly.
Opera House acting chief executive Jade McKellar confirmed the venue would have likely conducted a security screenings of protesters.
Court ruling
On Thursday, the NSW Court of Appeal ruled the protest would be prohibited from going ahead at the Opera House
While delivering the judgment, Justice Stephen Free referenced “pinch points” on the route between Hyde Park and the Opera House, which he said would create an “extreme” risk to public safety due to the estimated size of the crowd.
He also pointed to the recent pro-Palestine protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which saw significantly higher attendance than organisers had predicted.
Response
In a post to Instagram, PAG said they were “disappointed” with the outcome. They also announced a that they had agreed to a new “legal demonstration” in the city.
The court’s prohibition order means protesters could be subject to criminal charges and found to be in contempt of court if they protest outside the Opera House anyway.
Police said officers will be stationed at the Opera House on Sunday to make sure “the court ruling is adhered to”.
