People power cracks through protest restrictions
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has issued a 14-day extension of the Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD) but committed to ensuring Invasion Day rallies on 26 January can proceed.
Greens MP Sue Higginson had written to the Police Commissioner urging him to facilitate a peaceful march through central Sydney on 26 January despite the inability for a form 1 protest authorisation.
Greens MP, Spokesperson for Justice and Solicitor Sue Higginson said,
“Street marches are an accepted and anticipated part of Invasion Day rallies which have taken place on 26 January for nearly a century. It’s clear the Commissioner has recognised this and rightly bent to the will of the people,
“Last Sunday I attended the rally against Blak Deaths in Custody which occurred under these restrictions in Hyde Park and I was utterly astounded at the wasteful number of police in attendance. The number of police required to prevent a peaceful street march on Sunday far exceeded the number of police that would be required to facilitate a peaceful march through the streets, I certainly hope police have woken up to the absurdity of these broken laws,
“At Sunday’s rally hundreds of people declared that they will march on Invasion Day, restrictions or not. It’s frankly a relief to see the police have chosen to accept that the people have the right to assemble and the absolute will to march for First Nations justice,”
“Australians care deeply about First Nations justice, gathering and marching this Invasion Day has never been more urgent. 2025 saw record rates of First Nations Deaths in Custody and more First Nations kids locked up than ever before. The fact is we are not closing the gap, under the Minns Labor Government the gap is widening,
“We still need to question why these restrictions are in place, it seems fairly obvious they have been extended to try to continue to capture the pro Palestine protest movement and in particular any protest against the Israeli President’s apparent visit in early February,
“It’s downright frightening that Labor Premier Chris Minns, who is shamelessly pro-Israel, has given himself the tools to try and silence dissent against the Israeli Government. That is how authoritarian regimes operate, not democracies,” Ms Higginson said.