Pro-Palestine protests to erupt across Australia ahead of anniversary of Hamas attack

Palestinian Action Group spokesman Josh Lees says pro-Palestine rallies will continue until “Palestine is free”, after authorities said they did not want “the war in the Middle East played out on our streets”.

He told NewsWire the group is expecting tens of thousands of protesters to march through Sydney’s CBD on Sunday.

“We’ve had 12 months of genocide in the Gaza Strip, now another invasion of Lebanon by Israel,” he said.

“We’ve seen the attempts by the government and the police to shut down and stop this protest, which means I think even more people are going to come today because they’re outraged by the treatment the protesters have got over the past week.”

Israel’s military action in densely populated Gaza has not been ruled genocide by the International Court of Justice.

Mr Lees labelled the bid by NSW Police to prevent Sunday’s protest as a “racist campaign” against one of the country’s biggest anti-war movements.

After 52 weeks of non-violent marches to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza, Mr Lees said the support has been “incredible”.

“I think it’s a testament to ... the goodness of ordinary people, that they can see that there’s an atrocity going on, whatever background they are,” he said.

“What we’re saying today as well is that this isn’t just the end of a year of mass protests. This is the beginning of another year of mass protests until Palestine is free.”

Upward of 40,000 have been killed by Israel’s military action in Gaza, which was sparked by a horrifying surprise assault from Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Around 1200 were killed in the attacks, much of which were captured in graphic videos celebrated by militants online.

Mr Lees said protests in Australia would “keep going and they’ll keep growing”.

‘I’M HUMAN’: TEEN’S PROTEST PLEDGE

A teenager has told NewsWire she is compelled to protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza because “I’m human”.

15-year-old Palestinian Australian Tala Salam said there is an obligation to speak up against the atrocities being committed in her ancestral homeland.

“You can’t act like you’re seeing beheaded babies is normal,” she said.

“You can’t live life as normal.”

Ms Salam revealed her parents are Palestinian refugees and her grandparents were among those forced from their homes during the Nakba, a period of mass dispossession and displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

“If my parents, my grandparents could not continue their fight for their land, I will continue for them, as my kids will continue for them, and we will fight to see a free Palestine,” she pledged.

“We will not continue to see our people murdered. We will not stay silent.”

STERN WARNINGS

Authorities are issuing stern warnings as Australia’s biggest cities prepare for controversial pro-Palestine protests ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ horrific October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.

A planned protest in Sydney will go ahead on Sunday, despite police attempts to block it.

But NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley warned there would be “no tolerance” for criminal behaviour.

“People do have the right to protest in a liberal democracy, but please be mindful of what you say, of your actions, because they really do matter,” she told reporters.

“The police have a role to keep our streets safe and they will do that if everybody is doing the right thing.

“But if you’re not, you can expect to be arrested. It’s as simple as that.

“There will be no tolerance for misbehaviour. There will be no tolerance for racial slurs. Zero tolerance from the NSW Police.”

Pro-Palestine rallies have been held across the country every Sunday since Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that administers the Gaza Strip, attacked Israel, and the protests continue to command strong crowds.

They came under increased scrutiny after flags of Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, and framed pictures of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah appeared among the crowds.

“We do not want the war in the Middle East played out on our streets in Sydney,” Ms Catley said.

“That anger has no place here.”

NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said there would be a “significant police presence” monitoring the rally, but would not be drawn on the exact number of officers involved.

Mr McKenna said “action will be taken” against anyone seen carrying a Hezbollah-related material, including pictures of Nasrallah.

He noted the image of Nasrallah was not illegal but “in certain circumstances it could be seen as offensive”.

NSW Police will be assisted by legal advisors throughout the day after the rallies following Nasrallah’s death saw widespread confusion about what constituted a chargeable offence.

ANNIVERSARY PROTEST NOW A VIGIL

Following an 11th-hour Supreme Court hearing between police and protest organisers, Palestine Action Group withdrew its application to protest on Monday, October 7, saying it would instead hold a vigil at Sydney’s Town Hall on that evening and a rally at Hyde Park on Sunday, October 6.

Palestine Action Group’s original plan for a protest on Monday drew intense criticism from federal and state politicians, who deemed it “grossly insensitive” to rally on a day that marks the greatest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust.

But the group’s organisers said on Friday they “have a right to mourn” those killed by Israel’s military action against Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organisation that administers the densely populated Gaza Strip.

“It has led to 42,000 Palestinians being killed and we have a right to mourn them, and we have a right to declare that this is the anniversary of the start of this genocide,” the protest group’s Amal Nasser told reporters.

Protesters around the world mark the first anniversary of the war in Gaza with demonstrations taking place across Europe, the Philippines and South Africa.

State and territory police forces pledged in a rare joint statement on Friday to enforce laws on banned symbols at any demonstrations.

“Police respect the right to peacefully protest and assemble in Australia; however, there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year,” the country’s police forces said in a joint statement.

“In Australia, there are offences that prohibit behaviour that incites or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion, including the display of prohibited symbols in public under these circumstances.

“It is also a serious offence to counsel, promote, encourage, urge, instruct or praise terrorism.”

They said they would work with all “stakeholders”, including “community leaders and leaders of faith to ensure Australian laws are understood”.

PROTESTS A ‘MATTER FOR THE STATES’

Labor backbencher Josh Burns says there are “not mechanisms by which the federal government could intervene” in the protests.

Mr Burns, who chairs the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, told Sky News the right to gather was “fundamental” in Australia, but urged protesters to “consider another option.”

“What happens on our streets is a matter for the states, and to be frank, I support people’s right to protest – the right to gather and to associate is a fundamental right in Australia,” he said.

“I would also say that October 7 was, is a devastating day on the calendar, and for people to gather on that day sends a very terrible message about whether or not people are allowing their fellow Australians to grieve, and we must have the ability for all of us to grieve.”

Labor MP Josh Burns discusses former treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s criticisms of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong regarding their response to the October 7 attacks. “October 7, it’s a devastating day that’s coming up,” Mr Burns told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell. “I’m still a bit shaken by it all. “This is not the time for political points; this is the time for people to recognise the real devastation that’s occurred on this day.”

Mr Burns’ comments came after Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the Prime Minister should have done more to stop the demonstrations.

Though, Senator Paterson seemed to acknowledge there was no legal framework for federal intervention.

He said he was talking more about using the “status of the office of prime minister”.

“What I am saying is the prime minister should have shown leadership, and I know that would be something surprising and new and different for him on these issues, but he should have made it clear, and he should have gone direct to community leaders and used the relationships and the status of the office of prime minister that he holds to say this is utterly unacceptable and it must not proceed,” he said.

Anthony Albanese and his federal cabinet have consistently called on protesters to abandon plans for demonstrations around October 7.

‘VIGILANT’: MINNS’ VOW

NSW Premier Chris Minns is vowing to stop a repeat of last year’s infamous Opera House demonstrations as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters are expected to swarm the streets of Australia’s major cities ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.

Mr Minns said on Sunday last year’s protests, where some participants clashed with police and chanted antisemitic slogans, were “a mistake” he had to “bear responsibility for”.

“I apologised at the time,” he told Sky News.

“We can’t allow that to happen again, and that’s part of the reason why police were so vigilant about planned protest activity this Sunday and Monday.”

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns discusses the protests in Sydney and Melbourne that are set to go ahead mark one year since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. “Most people that are attending the Palestinian rallies are not supporters of terrorist organisations and are not going there to whip up hysteria or hatred,” Mr Minns told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell. “They’ve got concerns about Palestinian rights. “But we can’t let it tumble into clashes or confrontations on Sydney streets.”

Mr Minns said the police move to block protests around the anniversary, which he staunchly supported, “wasn’t to restrict freedom of speech” but to avoid public displays of “hatred and racism.”

“We can’t have a situation where hundreds of people hijack a march, end up down at the Opera House and in a violent confrontation with police,” he said.

“Those images were spread on the front pages of newspapers around the world, and it gave Sydney and Australia a terrible reputation during that period. I’m determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“Now, part of that is ensuring that we’re vigilant about these protests. NSW Police are ready.”