Jewish communities in NSW will have the opportunity to safely mourn those killed in Israel following a widely-condemned pro-Palestine protest in Sydney.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Protesters chanted anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric at a rally which started at Town Hall and ended on the steps of the Opera House on Monday night as the venue's sails were lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag.
The decision was made by the NSW government to show solidarity with the Jewish community after Islamist group Hamas attacked Israeli towns on Saturday.
The group sent fighters across the border into Israel and fired thousands of rockets in an unprecedented attack on Saturday.
At least 900 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and more than 600 have been killed in Gaza.
Hamas militants have taken Israelis hostage, with Reuters reporting the movement, which controls Gaza in the Palestine territories, plans to execute captives if civilian houses are bombed.
Premier Chris Minns said it was a great shame Sydney's Jewish community was unable to show solidarity with Israel after police asked people to stay home because of the protest.
"The police are obviously going to make operational decisions, but we do need to make changes to ensure that Jewish communities can commemorate when they need to come together in solidarity," he told ABC TV on Tuesday.
"The situation where (Jewish communities) are told not to come into the city, despite it being an operational decision ... that's intolerable for the future."
The government and police pledged to consult with Jewish leaders to ensure communities could safely mourn those affected by the Israel attacks.
Mr Minns also stood by the decision to light up the Opera House in solidarity with Israel, comparing it to illuminating buildings in the colours of the Ukrainian flag after the Russian invasion.
Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke confirmed about 1000 people attended Monday night's rally and took three hours to disperse.
Police made a decision to move the rally from Town Hall to the Opera House to better manage the crowds, he said.
"This is NSW, we do not expect people to bring conflict from other places to the streets of Sydney and violence will not be tolerated," he told reporters.
"We were able to manage that to ensure that there was no conflict last night."
He confirmed a Jewish man carrying an Israeli flag was arrested at Town Hall, saying it was done to keep him safe.
"We understand that this is a highly emotive issue, but people should also respect the fact that we are very much a multicultural, multi-faith community and we need people to respect each other's rights and observations," he said.
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the protest should never have been approved.
"It was disgraceful and deplorable that we're seeing scenes like that in Australia," he told Sydney radio 2GB.
"This was meant to be a chance for our Jewish community to have a peaceful vigil ... and instead it's allowed to be hijacked by a rowdy mob shouting anti-Semitic slogans, lighting flares and burning a flag."
Mr Cooke said police spoke with members of the Jewish community on Monday about the risk of going to the Opera House in the evening.
"They made a decision not to attend which I'm supportive of and which showed good sense in the circumstances, and we will certainly continue to support that community in their own observances," he said.
"We will continue to work with those communities to ensure that they feel free and safe."
Australian Associated Press
