Herzog Visit Triggers Extra Police Powers And CBD Restrictions
Image: Photo: Rawpixel.
Large areas of Sydney’s CBD will shut or face heavy restrictions this week as Premier Chris Minns enforces “extraordinary police powers” for Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit.
Usually reserved for major events, the powers will allow officers to set up exclusion zones, perform stop-and-searches, and order people out of public spaces.
As authorities prepare the CBD, the Palestine Action Group (PAG) has filed an urgent Supreme Court challenge on Sunday afternoon, arguing the police powers “threaten the civil liberties of everyone in NSW.”
PAG spokesperson Josh Lees said the measures aim to intimidate anyone speaking out against war crimes.
“[Minns] is using powers meant for sporting events or cultural events to instead give himself and the NSW Police extraordinary and draconian powers to basically shut down our entire city in the interest of parading out a war criminal to this country,” he said.
“[The major events act] talks about spectators, it talks about advertising … it’s clearly not meant to be used to shut down protests.”
As the legal challenge unfolds, police are ramping up a massive operation across the CBD and eastern suburbs, rostering more than 3,000 additional officer shifts during Herzog’s four-day visit.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan confirmed that over 500 officers will manage Monday’s protest alone.
Thirteen state and federal MPs have urged Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon to work with protest organisers and facilitate the march from Town Hall to state parliament.
Several MPs plan to join, pushing back at Premier Minns for portraying peaceful protest as “inconvenient and illegitimate.”
Police have put in place traffic restrictions across the CBD, including clearways from 11 am Sunday to 2 pm Thursday.
Buses will bypass Circular Quay and travel through Martin Place, while additional restrictions will apply around Bondi Beach from Tuesday afternoon.
Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray urged commuters to plan alternative routes and avoid the CBD on Monday.
“We hope there is no trouble, but police will be on hand in large numbers, and as a result, if you can move away from the city at an earlier time from work tomorrow, we’d advise you to do this,” he said.
Herzog will meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Jewish leaders, and families affected by the Bondi attack. He said he hopes this will be “a visit of goodwill” for the Australian Jewish community, while some protestors have called for his invitation to be rescinded.
You May Also Like
