Pro-Palestine fundraising gig in Newcastle cancelled after police said ‘credible threat' made against venue
The Palestine Action Group Muloobinba (PAGM) has accused police of 'bullying tactics' after the cancellation of the Make Some Noise charity event at the Hamilton Station hotel, from which all proceeds were meant to go towards aid for Gaza.
The hotel announced the cancellation on Facebook on Thursday, saying it was 'disappointed', but 'NSW police have advised us of credible threats made against the venue, and we must proceed in the interest of the safety of our staff and customers'.
The pub's licensee, Dan Southam, told Guardian Australia the venue was 'approached by multiple police' on Thursday 'with a credible threat to the venue in direct relation to the event on Friday'.
'Advice from police was cancel the event,' he said. 'The safety of our staff and patrons is our priority.'
Police had said earlier on Friday they spoke with the operators 'in light of online comments' but insisted any decision about a private event lay with the venue and not the police.
One of the fundraiser's organisers, Regan Dubois, said the venue contacted the PAGM on Thursday to say they had been visited by the police officer they regularly dealt with for licensing matters.
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'The police apparently said they had received a report of a credible threat if the event was to go ahead and they were suggesting that for safety reasons they cancel the event,' Dubois said.
'The threat was that someone was going to mow down someone with a vehicle.'
Dubois claimed this was the PAGM's second event in a week that police had played a role in shutting down.
She said the group had planned to host a film screening on 26 July at a local church, but police had contacted its owners and said 'they couldn't be sure it was legal to show a documentary'.
'They're trying to shut down the event, without even notifying organisers that the threat even exists,' she said. 'It's a pattern.'
Dubois said the PAGM had not directly received any threats and Hamilton Station hotel staff had said the venue hadn't either.
'We clarified with the venue … it's coming via police,' she said. 'It's completely unprofessional and inappropriate that, if the threat is credible, [the police] haven't contacted the community that is being threatened.'
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In a post to Facebook, the PAGM said it believed the police were using 'bullying tactics', alleging a 'precedent' with similarly cancelled pro-Palestine events.
Police declined to comment further when asked about Dubois' concerns.
Dubois said she understood why the hotel, as a small business, would be wary about any safety risks, but she questioned the police's actions.
'I assume they could do more. I don't know what they're doing because I've had no contact with police,' she said. 'If it is a serious threat, it should be under serious investigation.
'Police could also be doing a different thing – instead of shutting down the event, they could be protecting the event.'
Dubois said the organisers were working to move the event to another venue but had been worried about advertising it because 'we don't understand the nature of the threat to us'.
'Is it anti-Palestinian? Is it Islamophobic? The main speaker for the night is Jewish,' she said.
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