Sydney
\nA planned pro-Palestinian protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has gone ahead after it was authorised by the Supreme Court just one day prior, in what organisers called a \u201chistoric\u201d decision.
\nTens of thousands turned out for the March for Humanity on Sunday despite torrential rain – with many carrying placards with messages to politicians to stop the war.
\nWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was spotted among the protesters, with other notable attendees including federal MP Ed Husic and former NSW Premier Bob Carr.
\nThe Sydney Harbour Bridge was last closed for a public assembly in 2023, when some 50,000 people marched over the iconic roadway for World Pride.
\n\u201cShame shame Israel, shame shame USA,\u201d the crowds chanted. \u201cWhat do we want? Ceasefire. When do we want it? Now.\u201d
\nLots of families, many with small babies, came out to support the peaceful demonstration. Alongside them, stationed across the bridge, were police officers from the riot squad.
\n\u201cI know it\u2019s the other side of the world but it affects us here massively as well,\u201d says dad Alec Beville, who compares the children in Gaza to his three-year-old son Frankie. \u201cWe could be helping a lot more with aid.\u201d
\n\u201cOur government hasn\u2019t put any decent sanctions on Israel,\u201d says Zara Williams as she carries her baby, Avery, in a sling. \u201cWe [Australia] just can\u2019t do nothing while there\u2019s a forced starvation of an entire population.\u201d
\nTwo hours into the march, attendees received a text from NSW Police that read: \u201cIn consultation with the organisers, the march needs to stop due to public safety and await further instructions.\u201d
\nIt asked everyone on the bridge to stop walking north and turn back toward the city in a \u201ccontrolled\u201d way.
\nPolice have not yet provided an estimate of the numbers attending the march.
\nTransport for NSW told motorists to avoid the city, warning of major delays and disruptions across Sydney\u2019s road and public transport network due to the protest.
\nSydney-based activist organisation Palestine Action Group lodged a notice of intention for the march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge last Sunday, in response to what it called the \u201catrocity\u201d in Gaza.
\nPolice rejected the application on the grounds that there was not enough time to prepare a traffic management plan, and warned of a potential crowd crush and other safety concerns.
\nIn a statement the following day, NSW Premier Chris Minns said they could not allow Sydney to \u201cdescend into chaos\u201d and would not be able to support a protest of \u201cthis scale and nature\u201d taking place on the bridge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sydney A planned pro-Palestinian protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has gone ahead after it was authorised by the Supreme Court just one day prior, in what organisers called a \u201chistoric\u201d decision. Tens of thousands turned out for the March for Humanity on Sunday despite torrential rain – with many carrying placards with messages to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-494649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n