Controversial Sydney Opera House protest prohibited
The NSW Court of Appeal unanimously found the protest, slated to take place days after the second anniversary of October 7, presented “extreme” risks to public safety.
CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Michele Goldman and the Head of Legal of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Simone Abel said the Jewish community feels “relieved and validated” by Justice Stephen Free’s decision to block an anti-Israel protest at the Sydney Opera House on October 12.
“The public safety risk to participants and other members of the public is extreme,” Justice Free said in his judgment.
NSW Police blocked the Palestine Action Group (PAG) protest over security concerns at the iconic venue. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) and ECAJ joined the fight by challenging the proposed location of the protest amid escalating antisemitism and following last week’s terror attack targeting Jews in a Manchester synagogue which killed two worshippers.
“The right to engage in public protest is fundamental but not unlimited,” Goldman and Abel said in a joint statement following the Court’s ruling.
“Like all rights it has to be balanced against the equally fundamental rights of other people. The first major Gaza protest took place at the forecourt of the Opera House two days after the Hamas atrocities against Israel on 7 October 2023. The protest became notorious for its chants of “f… the Jews”, flag burning and other acts that desecrated one of our national icons and brought international condemnation upon Australia.
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