The Palestine Action Group says it plans to march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge this Sunday, 3 August, at 1pm regardless of the premier’s disapproval.
NSW police will now have to go to court if they want to stop the march, in a move seven Greens MPs have warned against. Police have previously been unsuccessful in blocking pro-Palestine protests.
Greens MP and Justice Spokesperson Sue Higginson said, ‘Labor Premier Chris Minns has now said he opposes any protest on the Harbour Bridge, which makes clear he has never been willing to work cooperatively with peaceful protestors in New South Wales.
‘The Palestine Action Group has played by all the rules here and protest is a fundamental civil and political right – whether the premier likes it or not.
‘The premier is not thinking straight, he incorrectly stated that the Brooklyn Bridge has never been shut down for protests, when it has been shut multiple times since 2023 for anti-genocide protests.
‘The Premier is not genuinely considering logistics here, he is just trying to shut down peaceful protests drawing attention to a genocide,’ said Sue Higginson.
‘Labor Premier Chris Minns’ rhetoric on protest is authoritarian and it is scary. There is absolutely no legal authority in the state of NSW for a premier to approve or reject protest because the state of NSW is not a dictatorship. Only the courts have the power to prevent protests, and the courts have sided with peaceful pro-Palestine protestors time and time again because freedom of political communication is enshrined in our Constitution.’
Solidarity
‘Demonstrating on the Harbour Bridge to support the children of Gaza, who are being starved and massacred, would be an incredible symbol of solidarity – and it’s clear that’s what Labor Premier Chris Minns wants to stop,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘This is the same premier who immediately lit up the Opera House to support the genocidal Israeli government when their war in Gaza began.
‘By opposing a protest on Sydney’s most iconic landmark, Chris Minns is seeking to suppress the basic humanity of the people of New South Wales who are appalled at Israel’s deliberate massacre of children in Palestine. This protest will go ahead and Chris Minns should stop trying to suppress it and start making sure Sydney is prepared for this demonstration for humanity.
‘Everyone from Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore, to Labor backbenchers, to unions like the Nurses and Midwives Association and the ETU support a peaceful demonstration on the Harbour Bridge. Why won’t Chris Minns?’
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