NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared that his administration “cannot allow” a pro-Palestine march scheduled to occur on the Sydney Harbour Bridge later this week. 

The protest is being organised by the Palestine Action Group [PAG], which has confirmed the submission of a Form 1 to notify NSW Police about the bridge march planned for this Sunday, August 3 at 1pm. 

According to a Facebook post, the group is orchestrating the March For Humanity event on “Australia’s most iconic symbol” to protest the “intentional starvation of 2 million Gazans,” as the hunger crisis in the region persists unabated. 

In a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald, Minns remarked that the state government “cannot support a protest of this magnitude, especially with just a week’s notice”. 

He emphasized that the Harbour Bridge is “one of the most crucial infrastructure elements in our city” and that “unplanned disruptions pose significant inconvenience and genuine public safety risks”.

“We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos,” Minns asserted. 

The premier mentioned that NSW Police are “engaged in discussions” with PAG to explore alternative routes for the marchers. 

Following the announcement, organisers responded to Minns, stating in a social media statement that the “urgency” of the situation in Gaza justifies the temporary closure of the bridge to traffic. 

PAG also highlighted that in 2023, the Harbour Bridge was briefly closed to accommodate the filming of Ryan Gosling’s movie The Fall Guy. 

“The premier warns of chaos, but there is nothing chaotic about people marching for peace and to end mass starvation,” the PAG spokesperson declared.

“We urge the NSW authorities to collaborate with us to organise this event and to take a stand on the right side of history.”

Referring to Minns’ mention of the short notice given before the protest, PAG questioned whether he would “agree to support the March for Humanity [if it were] a week later”. 

This will be the first occasion the pro-Palestine group has brought their march to the bridge in the nearly two years since their weekly protests commenced following the October 7 attacks in 2023.

Last year, Minns faced scrutiny for suggesting pro-Palestine protests should be blocked due to their “significant drain on the public purse”, and more recently, questions arose concerning NSW Police’s application of anti-protest laws following the Hannah Thomas’ arrest at a pro-Palestine demonstration.  

This development follows the discovery that two Australians were aboard Handala, a Gaza-bound aid ship intercepted by Israeli forces on Sunday (local time). 

Discussions between NSW Police and PAG regarding the planned bridge march are ongoing.  

Lead images: Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images and Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images