A senior police officer has apologised to Sydney’s Jewish community for not informing them that a neo-Nazi group had been given approval to protest outside New South Wales parliament in November.
On Tuesday, the acting deputy commisioner Peter McKenna told the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion that “human error” meant that NSW police failed to warn the community about the November 2025 protest. Members of the White Australia party held a banner reading “Abolish the Jewish Lobby” had chanted Hitler Youth slogans during the protest.
NSW police had been informed about the planned protest more than a week earlier.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailRichard Lancaster SC, counsel assisting the commission, asked McKenna whether a review of the protest had found police failed to notify the Jewish community.
McKenna agreed it had, saying it was regrettable and “absolutely it should not have happened”.
There was a procedure within NSW police at the time that senior Jewish leaders were to be informed, but this had failed, he said.
“It was a human error, we have systems in place to do that sort of thing,” he said. “Unfortunately on this occasion that did not occur.
“I understand why that would upset the Jewish community and they have our deepest apologies for not informing them of that.”
He said police “have put systems in place since to make sure that did not happen again”.
McKenna also said that when considering the White Australia application to gather, police had given strong consideration to whether they would be breaking anti-vilification laws, but found there was no reason to oppose the application.
“We were very cognisant of the fact this is a party that is linked to, if not self-proclaiming to be, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, racists.
“While some things are abhorrent and offensive, if they don’t meet the threshold of breaching the law then we fall back to, people have a right to public assembly.”
Questions about Opera House protest
McKenna was also asked by Lancaster about the 2023 Sydney Opera House protest, which occurred while the sails of the building were lit up in white and blue in solidarity with Israel after the deadly attacks by Hamas two days earlier.
Lancaster said multiple people had told the commission that the protest was “a critical event in the rise of antisemitism” in Australia.
He said one witness told the commission it was “shattering of our physical and psychological sense of safety in this country” a sentiment “echoed by many other Jewish Australians”.
Lancaster also said there was a large body of evidence before the commission showing that protesting against Israeli military action in Gaza or showing humanitarian concern for civilians killed in the Middle East conflict was not antisemitic.
David Ossip, the president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, told the commission he respected the right of people to protest in support of Palestine.
But he said the timing of the rally, which started at Sydney town hall before ending at the Opera House, was insensitive.
He said it was appalling the protest itself was called for by the Palestine Action Group on 7 October, before Israel’s military had responded in Gaza.
But Dominic Toomey SC, on behalf of the group, said that Israel’s military had started striking before the protest was organised.
“This is a royal commission on antisemitism,” Ossip responded.
“I’m a bit confused about why we are getting caught up in the minutiae of the timeline of a foreign military.”
McKenna was also asked about the Opera House protest. He told the commission that while he understood the “heightened emotions” regarding conduct at the rally, there were no concerns from police about community safety.
He said that while the rally had been spoken about for three years, there was little that police would change about how it had responded.
“When I spoke to police on the ground, they did not have a concern that this protest would get out of control.”
Hearing block eight, which is set to start on Wednesday and run until 14 August, will focus on the key drivers of antisemitism in Australia; how individuals become radicalised, including the role of the internet and the influence of hate preachers and the responses of law enforcement; and the responses of government to combating radicalisation.
