Police concerned about planned march to Sydney Opera House

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A senior police officer has told the New South Wales court of appeal Sunday's planned pro-Palestinian march to the Opera house could be disastrous. Protestors insist the event can take place safely by staggering the crowd into smaller processions which would then disperse quickly.

Transcript

00:00A globally recognizable backdrop from where protesters hope to send a powerful message.

00:07The Palestine Action Group expects 40,000 people to march from Hyde Park to the Opera House on Sunday.

00:14But as police seek a prohibition order from the Court of Appeal,

00:17one of their senior leaders cast doubt on the safety of the plan from the witness box.

00:23One issue is the limited exit points from the forecourt,

00:26including this staircase and a walkway into the Botanic Gardens.

00:31It has disaster written all over it.

00:33The organisers' lawyers suggested the crowd could be divided up with staggered processions to the landmark,

00:39which would disperse before the next group arrives.

00:42Your clients have stated the whole point of this is to be at this iconic location, the Opera House.

00:47I don't think people are going to come, walk through and then just walk out again.

00:51That seems farcical.

00:53I think that these arguments of public safety are often being weaponised by the police

00:58in order to crush these mass demonstrations that would get international attention.

01:04The forecourt has a legal limit of 6,000 people,

01:07and Opera House management says there'd likely be security screening for protesters.

01:12It's our standard protocol for any large-scale event,

01:15but we would work closely with police and take their advice.

01:18Chief Justice Andrew Bell accepted there is goodwill amongst the protesters,

01:22but he questioned what would happen if something went wrong.

01:25For example, if a flare was set off, if people panicked,

01:29and if access for emergency services is affected.

01:32The organisers' council said no major event is risk-free.

01:36This particular type of major event is critical to our democracy,

01:40and it's a special event which should be given maximum facilitation by this court, she said.

01:45A decision is due tomorrow morning.

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