Pro-Palestine protest LIVE updates: Sydney Harbour Bridge is shut down ahead of 50,000-strong demonstration - as cops issue final warning
NSW Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Adam Johnson urged people to avoid Sydney's CBD where possible.
He warned 'the risk is the numbers [of protesters] are unknown'
'If you're not going to engage in the assembly I would suggest you do not come to the city,' Johnson said.
'There's going to be major disruptions.
'But if you choose to come in and participate in the assembly, please do so reasonably, lawfully, listen to police instructions, listen to the marshals who are leading the procession as well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action supporters claim they are the 'moral backbone' of the UK and that hundreds of them are ready to swarm police ahead of protests this weekend
Palestine Action supporters have boasted that they are the 'moral backbone' of Britain as hundreds prepare to swarm the police this weekend. At least 500 activists are set to join a demonstration at Parliament Square this Saturday, in which they will hold signs saying 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'. It has fuelled fears of a 'mass arrest' event, with police and No 10 confirming this week that anyone who supported the newly proscribed terror group would be arrested. But yesterday Tim Crosland, co-founder of Defender Our Juries, which is organising this weekend's protest, said he was 'proud' of those who had signed up to show support for Palestine Action, calling them 'the moral backbone of this country'. He told Times Radio that arresting peaceful protesters was a waste of police time. 'I think the spectacle of police resources, a police service that's under immense pressure, that doesn't answer phone calls for burglaries, that they're dragging retired priests and teachers into police vans for holding up signs,' he said. 'It's an appalling waste of funds.' Last week, Palestine Action won permission to challenge the ban after the High Court ruled it had an arguable case. A judicial review will take place in November. Until then, the ban remains in place. It means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. But Mr Crosland also told an online press conference yesterday afternoon that there would be continued demonstrations in support of the group until the judicial review had concluded. He said he had been 'hearing from thousands of people wanting to take part in this action'. 'It feels like there's huge energy behind it,' he added. 'By November, we hope that this crazy law is struck down and we don't need to campaign against it anymore.' The Met has said the protests had 'the intention of placing a strain on the police' - something organisers have denied. But Mr Crosland claimed the police were in 'disarray' over the ban, with forces from across the country taking differing approaches to protesters, with some not taking action against peaceful demonstrations. There have already been 200 arrests at protests organised by Defend Our Juries since the ban came into force last month. However, Mr Crosland claimed no one had yet been charged, adding that there was 'a sense' that no one would be until the appeal had been heard. The former government lawyer said Defend Our Juries had received legal advice that claims against the police 'for unlawful arrest and for trespass to people's property' could be possible if the High Court rules in Palestine Action's favour. Mr Crosland said Defend Our Juries had written directly to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Met Chief Sir Mark Rowley ahead of this weekend's protests, but had yet to receive a response. However, he said the group had received a 'nice letter' from Lord Hermer last October in relation to their Free Political Prisoners campaign, in which the Attorney General said he 'would love to meet'. 'Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the right time back then, and it seems still not to be quite the right time, but he did send us a nice letter,' Mr Crosland added. Prison bosses have initiated emergency measures for a possible influx of arrested demonstrators this weekend amid concerns that some jails are close to full. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. 'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage '.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The big beef producer and the frontier wars; ‘progress' in Ukraine talks; real range of EVs revealed
Good morning. We continue our Descendants series with revelations of Australia's biggest beef producer's historical links to abuses against Aboriginal people – through the actions of its longest-serving superintendent before he joined the company, and others who helped establish its farming operations in the 19th century. With all eyes on Moscow as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree to peace with Ukraine looms large, US officials have met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. An academic is crying foul after the University of Sydney removed a Palestinian flag flying from his office window. And: a new study finds the real-world range of EVs doesn't match manufacturers' claims. 'Chilling effect on free speech' | The University of Sydney has removed a Palestinian flag hanging outside an academic's office after claiming it breached a new policy regarding flags. The Descendants | The Australian Agricultural Company, or AACo, is worth about $830m as Australia's largest beef producer, but investigations have uncovered the company's historical links with the dispossession, shooting and poisoning of Aboriginal people through the exploits of Jesse Gregson and others who helped establish its operations. CSIRO cuts | Hundreds more jobs could be axed at Australia's national science agency, sparking concerns the country is gutting its research capability. Electric vehicles | A government-funded program to test the true performance of vehicles has found the driving range of five popular electric cars is between 5% and 23% lower than results from laboratory testing. 'No clear explanation' | Since July many Meta users have reported accounts being suspended erroneously – and Australian businesses are now struggling. A personal platypus | British wartime PM Winston Churchill was due to receive a monotreme named after him but it mysteriously died en route. German U-boats were blamed – but was that the truth? Russia-Ukraine war | Donald Trump said 'everyone agrees this war must come to a close' after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin as the deadline to end Russia's war against Ukraine looms. Gaza crisis | Israel has issued forced displacement orders for Gaza City and Khan Younis amid fears of full occupation in Gaza. Our exclusive story reveals Israel relies on Microsoft's cloud services for expansive surveillance of Palestinians. Plus: the film about a Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in Gaza. Trump tariffs | The White House is placing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, bringing total tariffs up to 50%, in retaliation for the country's purchase of oil from Russia. Bolsonaro detained | A Brazilian judge has eased the terms of Jair Bolsonaro's house arrest, allowing the far-right former president to receive visits from family. 'Islamophobic and discriminatory' | A local authority in Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Can Trump be shamed into supporting human rights? After three decades at the helm of Human Rights Watch, the former executive director Kenneth Roth has written a memoir about his time campaigning against human rights violations around the world – including in the Palestinian occupied territories. He speaks with Nour Haydar about why he thinks there's always a strategy to pressure governments into supporting better human rights outcomes. The US Bureau of Labor Studies released its July employment figures last week, and they were not good. In response, Donald Trump did what any autocrat would do when told bad news: he shot the messenger – by firing the commissioner of labor statistics. In his latest Grogonomics column, Greg Jericho argues that Trump's war on statistics is an authoritarian attack on democracy – and countries like Australia should call it out. The Tjanpi Desert Weavers is an Indigenous-run social enterprise that empowers women across 350,000 sq km of central Australia to earn an income through fibre art. Its contemporary art and sculptural works based in traditional practices have been exhibited in Australia – and around the world. Thirty years after it all began, Dellaram Vreeland looks at how 400 Indigenous women in remote Australia took the art world by storm. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion AFL | Jayden Nguyen's Bombers debut could herald new era as the AFL tackles cultural diversity, Jack Snape writes. Cricket | The Hundred is set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year, with IPL investors keen on a switch. Football | Liverpool grant Darwin Núñez the go-ahead for a move to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal; Newcastle's Alexander Isak ordered to train alone amid transfer speculation. Rugby union | Rugby in the US suffers another blow as the second team in a week exits Major League Rugby. Increasing numbers of older Australians are seeking to share houses as property prices continue rising and rental costs soar, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Business leaders claim Melbourne's post-Covid recovery is under threat from the state government's plan to enshrine a legal right to work from home, the Age reports. NSW | A hearing is scheduled in the NSW supreme court as MP Gareth Ward fights parliamentary expulsion. Nationwide | A national student strike is scheduled in support of Palestine. NSW | The Lowy Institute is hosting a debate on 'How to defend Australia'. Business | AMP's full-year results are due to be announced this morning. Enjoying the Morning Mail? Then you'll love our Afternoon Update newsletter. Sign up here to finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day's main news, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Starmer accuses Palestine Action of targeting Jewish-owned businesses
Palestine Action has targeted Jewish-owned businesses, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed. The Prime Minister made the comments at a meeting of Labour's national executive committee (NEC), saying that the now banned protest group had a history of 'targeting Jewish-owned businesses'. The comments were first reported by Ann Black, an NEC member, who said she had passed on concerns about the Government decision to proscribe Palestine Action to the Prime Minister. She added that Sir Keir insisted that the ban on the group was 'not intended to stifle debate on Palestine'. This weekend, a large-scale protest is expected to take place in London in support of Palestine Action, with police warning that anyone 'showing support' for the group faced arrest. A source told The Times that Sir Keir said at the NEC meeting: 'It's not just the RAF bases, they've planned and attacked Jewish-owned businesses.' He reportedly went on to say there were 'some incidents that were well known, and others that were not'. Earlier this week, an activist allegedly associated with Palestine Action was remanded in custody accused of vandalising two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. It is estimated that the full cost of repairing the two planes will be around £7m. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'Those who seek to support this group may not yet know the true nature of this organisation. 'But people should be under no illusion, this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group, and we're also clear that their activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across this country who continue to exercise their fundamental right to protest on different issues.' Some backbench Labour MPs openly spoke out against the Government's decision to proscribe the group under antiterrorism laws when the Home Secretary announced the move in July. Clive Lewis said that in Britain there had been a 'long history… of direct action which pushes the boundaries of our democracy'. Richard Burgon said that the move risked 'criminalising thousands of volunteers and supporters'. The Prime Minister has also been forced to defend his announcement last week of a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, unless Israel meets certain conditions.
