Weekend protest chaos hits second state
Protesters in Sydney are planning - without a permit - to block the Harbour Bridge on Sunday.
In Victoria, no such permitting system exists, but the prominent pro-Palestine organisation plans to block the major King Street bridge across Melbourne's Yarra River in solidarity on the same day.
Speaking to media on Friday, Superintendent Troy Papworth appealed to the broader Melbourne protest group to protest 'lawfully'. Lawful, large-scale protests have been taking place in Melbourne regularly since 2023. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia
Police had identified a small number of the protest group who were likely to cause 'confrontation', he said.
The King Street bridge was too vital for emergency services to be blocked by protesters, Superintendent Papworth said.
He would not elaborate on what protest behaviours would be deemed illegal, nor how many additional officers would be dispatched on Sunday.
'We police to the risk, and if people there at the protest on the weekend are engaged in criminal behaviour, they can expect to be arrested.' Protesters in Melbourne marched to the National Gallery of Victoria on July 27. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia
Free Palestine Coalition has organised rallies in the CBD every Sunday for the past 92 weeks. The usual rally route stays in the CBD, and does not block any of the bridges across the Yarra River.
'Begin: State Library. End: King St Bridge to block the city for Gaza,'a social media post from an affiliated group said.
'In solidarity with Sydney communities who are marching on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
'Free the people, free the land, no peace on stolen land.'
The group has encouraged demonstrators to bring kitchenware.
'Bring pots and pans to highlight the manufactured starvation that is causing mass casualties in Gaza.
'These shut downs are in preparation for international mass strikes, sanctions and blockades to end Israeli impunity.'
Superintendent Papworth spoke to the media at midday AEST Friday, shortly before a Supreme Court hearing in Sydney began.
That court hearing was brought by the NSW Police, which is asking the courts to categorise the planned Harbour Bridge protest as unlawful and unauthorised.
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ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
The junior doctor from Perth trying to build a children's hospital in Gaza
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Perth Now
2 hours ago
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Australia commits to more food, medical aid for Gaza
Australia has pledged an extra $20 million in humanitarian assistance for women and children in war-torn Gaza after more than 100,000 turned out in protest across the country to spotlight suffering in the besieged enclave. The funding will go to organisations able to deliver desperately needed food, medical supplies and other lifesaving support, the federal government said in a statement on Sunday. The new package of support includes $6 million for the United Nations World Food Programme for the provision and distribution of food supplies and $5 million for UNICEF for nutritional support for children at risk of starvation. The International Committee of the Red Cross will also receive $5 million to help those in Gaza meet essential needs, including access to health care. An additional $2 million for relief support with the UK will be donated through an existing partnership arrangement, while $2 million will go to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization to provide medical supplies to support the operation of field hospitals in Gaza. Australia has so far committed $130 million in humanitarian assistance to help civilians in Gaza and Lebanon since October 7, 2023. But the Albanese government has been criticised for not doing enough in addressing what the UN has described as worsening famine conditions in Gaza. About 90,000 people turned the Sydney Harbour Bridge into a sea of Palestinian flags on Sunday while tens of thousands more met at similar protests in Melbourne and Adelaide. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia has "consistently been part of the international call on Israel to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza". "The suffering and starvation of civilians in Gaza must end," she said. "Australia will continue to work with the international community to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and a two-state solution - the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples." Mr Albanese is standing firm against increasing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would do so unless Israel moved to secure a ceasefire and increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK move comes after France became the first G7 country to say it would recognise Palestine ahead of a UN meeting in September. Mr Albanese said while the world was horrified at Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in thousands of deaths and some 200 people being taken hostage, the subsequent war had cost too many innocent lives. Gaza's health ministry says 60,000 people have been killed during Israel's subsequent counteroffensive. Israel has restricted food and medical supplies from entering Gaza, where it controls all entry points, to put pressure on Hamas. International pressure is mounting on the nation state to let in more humanitarian aid, as deaths attributed to malnutrition rise. Israel denies there is starvation in the besieged strip despite international human rights groups branding Israel's offensive in Gaza a genocide and attributing deaths to starvation.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
100,000 march in Melbourne and Sydney to protest Israel's bombardment of Gaza
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Standing on the bridge a few metres from the police line, Kevin Bracken said he had attended most protests and all had been peaceful. 'It's right over the top, isn't it?' he said. 'It's sending the message, who runs Victoria? They couldn't stop it in NSW, but the politicians here are puppet masters. This is about what's happening in Gaza. This is about starving children.' After the larger protest dispersed about 3pm, a small spin-off group stopped traffic and started burning an Australian flag and spray-painting 'Abolish Australia' on Spencer Street. When asked whether they represented the broader protest movement, one person in a grey hoodie and black mask shook her head and walked away. 'We're just concerned citizens,' said another. 'No group.' They chanted 'Too many coppers, not enough justice' and 'Free Palestine' before police arrived and the crowd of fewer than one dozen people dispersed. Earlier in the day, former Greens candidate for Wills Samantha Ratnam addressed the crowd to roaring applause and clanging pots, a symbol of food shortages in Gaza. She said Labor was feeling pressure amid rising calls for Israeli sanctions and greater scrutiny on contracts for military parts. 'The more they minimise us ... the more and more they're being overwhelmed [by the] community telling them they're on the wrong side of history,' she said. Rally organiser Mohammad Sharab said the protests were about peace and humanity, criticising the media and politicians for calling the protesters 'extremists'. 'We stand for justice ... We are not ashamed of it. For those who call us extremist and antisemitic for standing against genocide, these extreme comments make you the extremist. That's my message to [Premier] Jacinta Allan,' he said. Palestinian activist Basil El Ghattis held up pictures of children aged from six months to 17 years old, suffering severe malnutrition from the aid blockade in Gaza. 'The starvation of Palestinians today is a page out of the colonial playbook,' he said. 'We must hold our government to account.' Earlier, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force repeatedly engaged with Melbourne protest organisers to persuade them not to gather on the King Street Bridge, but rally plans had not changed. She said officers would have a visible presence in the city on Sunday, with additional police brought in from outside metropolitan Melbourne. Police confirmed there were no arrests, but they were following up a report that an egg was thrown at a person during the protest Organisers from the Free Palestine Coalition said the police decision to bring in hundreds of additional officers was a waste of resources for a peaceful protest. 'Gaza is suffering from an ongoing forced man-made famine and ongoing bombing of civilians,' the coalition said. 'This is exactly why organisers are holding the protest to King Street Bridge ... to let the good people of the city of Melbourne know that there are atrocities happening in Gaza, and that we as a community have an opportunity to change the status quo, and bring about change.' Loading The Israeli government has denied claims of genocide and starvation in Gaza, claiming the war is an act of self-defence. Premier Jacinta Allan warned protesters there would be consequences for anyone who caused chaos in the CBD. 'There are strong operational arrangements in place for today. Those are in place to support people's safety,' she said at a press conference on Sunday morning before the protest. 'Anyone who breaks the law, anyone who compromises community safety will be dealt with swiftly by Victoria Police.' Opposition Leader Brad Battin said it was vital that rallies had to receive a permit to go-ahead and police were given powers to 'move on' protesters, to avoid circumstances where major roads were closed. '[The state government] hasn't brought the legislation in to ensure we've got registration of protests here in our state … to keep the community moving and keep the community safe,' he said. Last week, Police Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush, ruled out introducing protest permits in Victoria, saying they had not been a game-changer in other states. On Sunday, Battin urged the chief commissioner to reconsider, suggesting a stance against protest permits was the wrong message for Victoria. 'The chief commissioner has been here for a short period of time, not for all 92 of these protests that have happened in the city ... But the reality is, the legislation lies with the government.' The Victorian government last year announced it would criminalise face masks at protests and the use of glue, rope, chains and other devices that cause disruptions, but it is yet to bring the bill to parliament.
