Protestors defiant after courts cancel protest

BY ANGIRA BHARADWAJ

Defiant protestors took to the streets on Saturday, 21 January after an anti-lockout laws rally expecting thousands, was cancelled by the Supreme Court.

Sydney residents gathered in Kings Cross to support local businesses and to show their disappointment after the rally organised by Keep Sydney Open was cancelled following a last minute submission by NSW police.

Protestor Anthony Skinner said the event should not have been banned.

“The police did it at the last minute for a reason

“Keep Sydney Open didn’t have any time to fight it. Tyson and his team would have spent all night trying to get something together,” Mr Skinner said.

He also added that the lockout laws need to be completely removed.

“We only have seven days in a week. If you spend five of those working as much as you can, for someone to then limit the amount of time you have free is wrong.

“Anyone that works in a bar finishes at 1:30am, so what do they get to do? They have no options to go out,” he said.

Keep Sydney Open had filed a “Notice of Intention to hold a Public Assembly” on 9 January.

However, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione filed a summons on 19 January requesting the Supreme Court to prohibit the rally.

The Commissioner cited concerns about public safety and crowd management and did not support the proposed event being held at night in a semi-residential area.

Mr Scipione added that he would support a public protest in an open area during daylight hours.

Hunter Clarke, a club employee working in Kings Cross, came despite the court orders.

“A protest should be done on the terms of the protestor because if we are doing it on someone else’s terms, it means they are just not going to listen to us,” he said.

Mr Clarke added that lockout laws have had a negative impacted on Sydney businesses.

“It’s a shame really because I actually work in one of the clubs around here, so if we get shut down that’s me out of a job.

The court justified its prohibition of the rally stating: “The logistical problems of the event are too large and too unknown.”

However, Keep Sydney Open has vowed to return with a bigger rally.

“The Supreme Court sided with the Commissioner and issued a prohibition order against our rally application.

“In response, we are announcing that the rally will go ahead at a later date, and it will be bigger, louder and stronger than the one originally scheduled,” the group said in Facebook post.

The rally has been rescheduled for 18 February, 2017.