The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has said a pro-Palestine protest involving a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be a “powerful symbol” and should go ahead at some point “if the community sentiment is significant enough”.
A New South Wales Labor MP has also rejected the premier’s claim a march across the bridge would cause chaos and urged police to facilitate the demonstration “within two to three weeks”.
On Sunday, the Palestine Action Group announced it would march across the bridge this weekend, veering from its usual course in the near-weekly rally though the CBD. The group then offered to delay it by a week after the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the government would not support a protest of that scale and nature.
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Moore said the right to protest was paramount in a democracy.
“It would be an incredibly powerful symbol for our most iconic landmark to be the site of a demonstration against starvation in Gaza and in favour of lasting peace,” she said.
“The government should work to find a suitable alternate location for this week’s protests, and if the community sentiment is significant enough to warrant the use of the bridge the government should work with organisers to plan for its use.”
Minns said in a statement on Monday: “The NSW government cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week’s notice.”
“We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos,” he added.
The Liberals have backed Minns’s rejection, while the Greens have written to the premier urging him and the roads minister to support it.
Anthony D’Adam, who Minns sacked from his parliamentary secretary roles after he criticised NSW police tactics at a pro-Palestine demonstration, said the assertion that it would cause chaos was overstated and past events showed it had led only to “some inconvenience”.
“I’m sympathetic to the arguments around there not being enough notice, but I think that the police should be working with the Palestine Action Group to facilitate the protest,” he said, adding it should be within two to three weeks.
Peter Moss, from Labor Friends of Palestine, an internal campaign group of members and politicians that backs the march going ahead, said: “The level of community sentiment for Palestine is comparable to those issues that have seen the bridge closed for previous mass public events.”
Josh Lees from the Palestine Action Group said if the government and police were prepared to commit to working together towards a two to three week timeline the group would welcome that.
But he said: “If they won’t commit to such support, then it unfortunately reveals that their professed concern for a lack of notice is not genuine, and we are prepared to defend out right to protest in court if necessary.”
The group announced the rally in a social media post, highlighting the starvation of adults and children in Gaza.
The World Health Organization says it has recorded 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this year – 63 occurring in July, including 24 children under five.
“This is a genocide. Even if, under global pressure, Israel temporarily allows some food into Gaza, it will not mean the end of Israel’s goal of ethnically cleansing the [Gaza] strip,” the Palestine Action Group said.
The group said “this extraordinary situation” has led it to call for a March for Humanity over the bridge on 3 August “to save Gaza”.
The group also pointed out the bridge is regularly closed at short notice for maintenance or emergencies, and was closed for the historic 2000 march for reconciliation and the 2023 World Pride march.
Global condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza has sharply increased in recent weeks and days. International humanitarian organisations have pleaded for attention on starvation and malnutrition concerns for civilians still remaining in Gaza.
D’Adam said: “The prime minister has already made very strong comments about his concerns about the state of affairs in Gaza and the prospect of mass starvation is concerning to all right thinking Australians.”
“I think it’s clear those sentiments should be able to be expressed through a public demonstration.”
On Sunday, the WHO reported over 5,000 children had been treated for malnutrition in July in Gaza, many with the most life-threatening form.
