By Renju Jose
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police have sought to block a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Oct. 6 and 7, one year since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Police held talks with the organisers of the rally but said they were not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely, and would approach the court for a ban, New South Wales state police said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“The first priority … is the safety of the participants and the wider community,” police said.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated on Tuesday after Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s air and ground campaign against the Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Tehran. Israel has vowed a “painful response”.
The Palestine Action Group Sydney said on Facebook the move by the police to ban protests was an attack on fundamental democratic rights.
“We have a right to demonstrate … the Palestine Action Group unequivocally opposes this attempt to silence protests,” it said.
Protests in Melbourne over the weekend saw some displaying flags with the symbol of Hezbollah and photos of leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Israeli strikes last week, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
Hezbollah is a “listed terrorist organisation” in Australia and it is an offence for any Australian to provide it with financial support or fight in its ranks.
Australia has seen a rise in hate incidents following the Israel-Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned public displays of terror group symbols.
An anti-war protest outside a defence exhibition in Melbourne last month turned violent injuring two dozen officers as police used sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays to control parts of the crowd that turned hostile at times.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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