‘Massive disruption': Police issue major warning as pro-Palestinian demonstrators prepare to shut down Harbour Bridge sparking commuter chaos
On Saturday NSW Police and Premier Chris Minns were handed a significant blow after Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected an application to deem the Palestine Action Group's Sydney Harbour Bridge demonstration unlawful.
Despite police stating the march would put 'public safety' in jeopardy and force the city to a grinding halt, Justice Rigg said the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech outweighed any other argument.
'The application by the commissioner should be refused,' she said in her judgment with protestors also afforded immunity from a litany of offences including blocking or obstructing traffic or pedestrians.
The last-minute court ruling has left authorities scrambling as Police Minister Yasmine Catley pleaded for Sydneysiders to avoid using the Harbour Bridge at all costs.
'Make no mistake there is going to be massive, massive disruption ... there will be significant delays,' Ms Catley said.
Protestors are expected to congregate as Sydney's Lang Park and will stream across the Harbour Bridge from 1pm onwards.
The bridge will be closed in both directions between 11.30am and 4pm on Sunday afternoon, with the march set to last more than three hours in total.
According to organisers Palestine Action Group the protest will begin at York and Grosvenor streets at 1:30pm with demonstrators then crossing the bridge and finishing up their march at Bradfield Park, North Sydney.
Organisers believe over 50,000 people could attend the protest.
Conditions are set to stay soggy and wet with 10 to 35mm of showers forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Police are urging commuters to steer clear of the CBD completely, and to expect severe traffic delays with the protest not only set to impact the bridge but causing a flow on effect throughout the entire public transport and road network.
'There will be significant delays and disruption so if you must travel, allow plenty of additional journey time, particularly for any critical travel, such as going to the Airport,' police said in a statement.
Authorities have warned of "extensive queues" in both directions of the Sydney Harbour Bride and Tunnel which will extend to the Western Distributor, Anzac Bridge and the Rozelle Interchange as well as the Eastern Distributor in the south and the Gore Hill Freeway and Lane Cove Tunnel in the north.
Major CBD corridors including York Street, Clarence Street, the Cahill Expressway, the Western Distributor and Grosvenor Street will be closed in addition to substantial chunks of the Pacific Highway, Blue Street and Lavender Street.
Bus services using the brige will terminate at either North Sydney or Wynward between 11:30am and 4pm with trains set to run as normal.
However Transport NSW has warned of protracted delays to the rail network.
The Metro will also be closed for planned trackwork's, and the L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford light rail will truncate at Town Hall.
Police have launched a high-visibility response to the planned demonstration with Acting Deputy Commissioner Mckenna stating 'the whole gambit of police' will be in attendance' and would be 'right along the route' of the march.
'Police will have a high-visibility presence at the operation today and will work with participants to ensure there are no breaches of the peace,' Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Adam Johnson said at a press conference on Sunday.
'Any unlawful or dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated or any actions that risk the safety of others. Police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence,' he said.
Hundreds of officers will be deployed from local and specialist commands and will be briefed from 8am with the aim of keeping the public safe and limiting interruptions where possible.
Aciting Deputy Commissioner McKenna reiterated that protestors were not exempt from numerous charged.
"They're not exempt from malicious damage, they're not exempt from assaults, they're not exempt from hate speeches, hate crime, that sort of thing," he said.
Palestine Action Group organiser and media spokesperson Josh Lees remained defiant amid fierce scrutiny and said the Supreme Court's decision was 'absolutely mind blowing."
He said there was an intense 'urgency to this situation' in regard to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities, while the United Nations says dozens of people have died in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 251 hostages. An unprecedented throng of protesters turned the Sydney Harbour Bridge into a sea of Palestinian flags and the centrepoint of public resistance to Israel's military action in Gaza. About 90,000 turned out on a wet and windy Sunday to spotlight suffering in Gaza after a police order to prohibit the protest was rejected by a court. Organiser Palestine Action Group said it aimed to draw attention to what the United Nations has described as worsening famine conditions in Gaza. 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The force permitted protesters to return southbound across the bridge to the Sydney CBD after the march was initially proposed to end in North Sydney. By 5pm, bridge lanes had reopened in both directions. NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter McKenna estimated attendance at about 90,000 people and described the crowd as the largest he had seen in Sydney. "We were really overwhelmed with numbers," he told reporters on Sunday evening, noting attendees were well behaved and thanking them for complying with police orders. Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Johnson described the situation as "perilous" and worried police were going to have a "major incident with potential loss of life". "I can honestly say in my 35 years of policing, that was a perilous situation ... I've never seen a more perilous situation," he said. Rally speaker and independent Jewish journalist and author Antony Loewenstein said he saw "no evidence" the huge number of people who attended were in any physical danger due to the crowd's size. "Police are trying to create a fiction around an event they maybe weren't prepared for," he said. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned the shutting down of a "critical piece of infrastructure" in Sydney. "I respect the right of free speech and protest, but this is taking it to another level ... the protest could happen elsewhere," Ms Ley told Sky News. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, who has been more outspoken on ending the war in Gaza, emphasised unity. First time protesters and friends Ian Robertson, 74, and Greg Mullins, 66, said they hoped their attendance could make a difference. "The world's gone mad," Mr Mullins told AAP. "I came today because I don't want my kids telling me what were you doing when this mass murder and genocide was going on," Mr Robertson said. About 25,000 protesters also marched through Melbourne to block a major CBD thoroughfare but were stopped by a wall of riot police at the entrance to the King Street Bridge. Many in the crowd banged pots and pans in a nod to mounting concerns about mass starvation in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities, while the United Nations says dozens of people have died in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 251 hostages. An unprecedented throng of protesters turned the Sydney Harbour Bridge into a sea of Palestinian flags and the centrepoint of public resistance to Israel's military action in Gaza. About 90,000 turned out on a wet and windy Sunday to spotlight suffering in Gaza after a police order to prohibit the protest was rejected by a court. Organiser Palestine Action Group said it aimed to draw attention to what the United Nations has described as worsening famine conditions in Gaza. Several Labor MPs including former NSW Labor premier and former federal foreign minister Bob Carr joined the march in defiance of Premier Chris Minns alongside multiple Greens and independent colleagues. The premier previously warned the city would "descend into chaos" if the protest went ahead. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange joined Mr Carr at the rally with the pair seen leading the crowd and clutching a giant "Save Gaza" placard. Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster and former boxer and rugby league star Anthony Mundine added to the list of prominent attendees. Australians have been watching "an avalanche of atrocities that cannot be denied or erased", Foster told the crowd. "As a country we've said much but not acted as we must," he said. 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I've never seen a more perilous situation," he said. Rally speaker and independent Jewish journalist and author Antony Loewenstein said he saw "no evidence" the huge number of people who attended were in any physical danger due to the crowd's size. "Police are trying to create a fiction around an event they maybe weren't prepared for," he said. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley questioned the shutting down of a "critical piece of infrastructure" in Sydney. "I respect the right of free speech and protest, but this is taking it to another level ... the protest could happen elsewhere," Ms Ley told Sky News. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, who has been more outspoken on ending the war in Gaza, emphasised unity. First time protesters and friends Ian Robertson, 74, and Greg Mullins, 66, said they hoped their attendance could make a difference. "The world's gone mad," Mr Mullins told AAP. "I came today because I don't want my kids telling me what were you doing when this mass murder and genocide was going on," Mr Robertson said. About 25,000 protesters also marched through Melbourne to block a major CBD thoroughfare but were stopped by a wall of riot police at the entrance to the King Street Bridge. Many in the crowd banged pots and pans in a nod to mounting concerns about mass starvation in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities, while the United Nations says dozens of people have died in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 251 hostages. An unprecedented throng of protesters turned the Sydney Harbour Bridge into a sea of Palestinian flags and the centrepoint of public resistance to Israel's military action in Gaza. 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"As a country we've said much but not acted as we must," he said. About an hour into the march and with increasing concerns for public safety, police urged protesters on the bridge to turn around "to avoid a crowd crush" and "risk of injury due to the huge number of people taking part". The force permitted protesters to return southbound across the bridge to the Sydney CBD after the march was initially proposed to end in North Sydney. By 5pm, bridge lanes had reopened in both directions. NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter McKenna estimated attendance at about 90,000 people and described the crowd as the largest he had seen in Sydney. "We were really overwhelmed with numbers," he told reporters on Sunday evening, noting attendees were well behaved and thanking them for complying with police orders. Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Johnson described the situation as "perilous" and worried police were going to have a "major incident with potential loss of life". 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"I came today because I don't want my kids telling me what were you doing when this mass murder and genocide was going on," Mr Robertson said. About 25,000 protesters also marched through Melbourne to block a major CBD thoroughfare but were stopped by a wall of riot police at the entrance to the King Street Bridge. Many in the crowd banged pots and pans in a nod to mounting concerns about mass starvation in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities, while the United Nations says dozens of people have died in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's military campaign began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 251 hostages.
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On tonight's episode of Paul Murray Live, Sky News host Paul Murray discusses the Supreme Court ruling which gave the green light on the Sydney Harbour Bridge protests, escalating Middle East conflicts, and more. 'We look at this in multiple angles, we look at this in multiple ways, about what is justified, what's not justified, what's too much, what is not enough,' Mr Murray said. 'The process worth talking about tonight is not just the process itself … but I want to get back to the central idea which is if the elected premier of your state says an event should not happen, should it happen or not happen? When the police say the event should not happen … the courts end up having, in this case, the final say.'
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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has claimed an 'influx' of Islamic fundamentalism was subverting Australia and its values, as tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters streamed through Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has decried the Supreme Court's decision to allow a pro-Palestine protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to take place on Sunday and warned an 'influx' of Islamic fundamentalism was transforming Australia. Police estimated 90,000 demonstrators took part in the 'March for Humanity' through the heart of Sydney, chanting: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'In our thousands in our millions, we are all Palestinians', among other slogans calling for sanctions on Israel and an end to the war in Gaza. Senator Hanson questioned the intention of the march and told Sky News many of the people attending the protest were 'pushing their own agenda'. The One Nation leader questioned the motive of the 'March for Humanity' in light of a recent video released by Hamas, which showed the emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, 24, digging his own grave in a Gaza tunnel. 'Where was the humanity about this man who's actually in this tunnel, skin and bone?' she said. 'What about the other hostages? This (war) could be stopped immediately by releasing the hostages.' — Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) August 3, 2025 Senator Hanson said Hamas had 'no intentions' of stopping the violence until 'Israel is destroyed' and that there were signs among the sea of activists which called for 'death to the IDF'. The One Nation leader said Hamas started the war when terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage and claimed 'dumbed down' Australians were supporting Islamic fundamentalists. 'They're pushing their own agenda, fundamentalist Islam in Australia, and that's what it's about,' she said. 'We need to reflect on other countries around the world. When the tentacles of Islam have encroached on those countries and what it's done to those countries, they're no longer those proud countries that we remember of 50 or even 100 years ago. 'Australia is heading down that path and for Australians to actually get out there and protest it made me sad, made me so upset to see it. 'We've allowed this influx of people with Islamic values and fundamentalist values to actually do this in our country, the people of this nation will be the ones to pay the price of it and it won't be too long that it will affect us more and more as time goes on.' Senator Hanson also claimed Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg, who overturned the police request to deem the protest unlawful, had not listened to the state government or law enforcement. 'It should never have been allowed,' she said. 'It is absolutely disgusting to see it happening on the streets of my country.'
