The NSW Police Force has made an application to prohibit upcoming Pro-Palestine rallies on October 6 and 7 citing “safety concerns”. Its notice to the Supreme Court has revealed that a dozen planter boxes, moved into the Town Hall precinct for the arrival of spring, are the topic of safety concerns that would see peaceful vigils and a 12-month uninterrupted assembly stopped.
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said, “It is a harsh and oppressive move by the NSW Police Force to attempt to prohibit the peaceful, uninterrupted weekly assembly where people have been expressing their collective grief and support of the Palestinian people suffering the most horrific genocide,”
“To learn that the reason for this undemocratic intolerance of the people’s right to protest is due to a few planter boxes on the street is cruel, callous and frankly dangerous,”
“For almost one year the people of Gaza have endured wave after wave of the most atrocious war crimes in living memory. Over 50,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives, and now NSW Labor are calling to prevent a peaceful community vigil to mourn these deaths, because of a dozen or so planter boxes. The gutless absurdity of this entire charade would be laughable if it wasn’t so unimaginably cruel,”
“The safety of protestors and the public is of course paramount to civil assembly. What we are now witnessing is a wilful attempt by the NSW Police Force, backed by Premier Chris Minns to block a peaceful assembly, rather than work with the community to resolve the issue at hand,”
“I am extremely concerned that the NSW Police Force are attempting to blatantly take away a very particular community’s right to gather peacefully. What is even more concerning is that Premier is so eager to jump on this bandwagon, all whilst deliberately withholding critical information from the public,”
“These peaceful protests have been the heartbeat of the Palestinian community and all who care since this genocide began. If the Premier genuinely wanted to prioritise the harmony and safety of NSW he would would move the flower boxes, not cut away a lifeline for a community in mourning,”