14h ago17.18 AEDT
Luca Ittimani
Palestine supporters gather in Sydney to oppose NSW’s new anti-protest laws
Protestors are gathering outside Sydney’s town hall to advocate against news laws restricting protests, expected to pass
New South Wales parliament tomorrow.
Close to 200 are standing between Town Hall and the light rail stop.. Some are handing out flyers reading “No to Minns’ new anti-protest laws”.
More than a dozen are wearing keffiyehs. One waves a flag for Teachers for Palestine, one of four groups promoting the rally on Instagram over the weekend. An attendee hands out magazines for left wing activist group Solidarity; another flies a flag for Extinction Rebellion; another holds a sign reading “to the sea”.
As the bells struck 5 o’clock, the rally’s scheduled start time, more police approached the square. At least a dozen officers watch the growing crowd.
13h ago17.52 AEDT
Luca Ittimani
Anti-Zionist speaker says rally against new anti-protest laws also a vigil for Bondi victims
Michelle Berkon, who was escorted from the Bondi memorial while wearing a keffiyeh a week ago, says Sydney’s rally serves as vigil for those unwilling to mourn at the Bondi site where 15 were killed
Berkon, a speaker at tonight’s rally and member of the group Jews Against the Occupation ’48, tells Guardian Australia the memorial’s Israeli flags prevented anti-Zionist Jews from mourning at the site:
The rally begins with an acknowledgement of country and condemnation of the terror attack. Berkon is welcomed with loud applause by a still-growing crowd, which she invites to observe a minutes’ silence.
Protestors listen calmly, cheer as new speakers take the microphone and cry “shame” when
Chris Minns’ name is mentioned.
13h ago18.07 AEDT
Luca Ittimani
Crowd at Sydney rally against new anti-protest laws chants ‘globalise the intifada’
The crowd rallying at Town Hall has chanted “globalise the intifada”, defying the NSW premier’s plan to ban the phrase and his warning that it may already be illegal
The chant followed an address from author
Sara Saleh, who said the shooting at Bondi had been weaponised to limit the human right to protest:
Saleh ends by quoting a Palestinian journalist:
The crowd cheers and the MC leads a chant of “from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada”. Over a dozen police watch on.
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www.theguardian.com