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2025 Sydney Harbour Bridge protest

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Not to be confused with Global March to Gaza or March for Gaza.
2025 Sydney Harbour Bridge protest
Part of the Gaza war protests in Australia
Date3 August 2025
Time1:00 pm–4:00 pm (AEST)
VenueSydney Harbour Bridge
LocationSydney, Australia
TypeMass procession, demonstration, protest rally
CauseGaza Strip famine and Gaza genocide
MotiveShowing solidarity with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip
Organised by
  • Palestine Action Group[1]
Participantsest. 25,000–300,000[2]

The 2025 Sydney Harbour Bridge protest was a pro-Palestine protest that occurred on 3 August 2025 on the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. It was organised by the Palestine Action Group. It was officially called the "March for Humanity".[3]

Background

The purpose of the protest was to express support of Palestinian people, raise awareness of the situation in Gaza,[4] and pressure the Australian government to sanction Israel.[2] Former New South Wales premier Bob Carr attended the protest and said in a statement that protesters "want the Netanyahu government's humanitarian blockade to stop, the starvation and the killing to end".[5]

Palestine Action Group had held smaller protests in Sydney every Sunday since 7 October 2023 at a much smaller scale than this event.[6]

Transport

Transport for NSW urged people to avoid all non-essential travel on the day of the protest.[7]

Police response

NSW Police had requested a court order to block the protest over concerns of public safety.[8] Acting commissioner Peter McKenna said the police would apply to the Supreme Court of New South Wales to classify the protest as unlawful.[9][10] During the hearing, an overflow room was created for observers due to the amount of people wanting to attend.[11]

The Supreme Court denied the application brought by NSW Police. Justice Belinda Rigg, said the claim that the protest would cause significant disruption was "far from determinative" for the protest to be unlawful since doing so would mean that "no assembly involving inconvenience would be permitted".[12] Rather, Rigg stated that "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others."[10] and that Palestine for Action had "compellingly" explained their reason for believing the protest was needed.[13] Palestine Action Group argued that the use of the bridge would be a "powerful message" and that bridge has been closed down for "lesser reasons" such as filming movies.[11] They also warned of a "potential for violence" if the police were able to arrest people for attending the protest.[14] While deciding in favour of Palestine Action Group, Rigg said that "the public interest in freedom of expression, at this time, in the manner contemplated, for the reasons advanced, is very high," and rejected any suggestion that her decision would condone any antisocial or behaviour or violence.[12]

The protest was approved the day before it was to take place, causing NSW Police to reorganise their plans quickly.[10]

Palestine Action Group, the organisers of the protest, had said that they would continue regardless of the outcome of the police request, saying on Facebook "whatever happens, see you on Sunday".[4]

March

The march was officially called the "March for Humanity".[3]

Protesters started at Lang Park in Wynyard before crossing the bridge, and finished at Bradfield Park in North Sydney.[15]

The bridge was closed in both directions at 11:30 am, and protesters began to cross around 1:00 pm.[15] The bridge was planned to be reopened at 4:00 pm,[16] but due to the size of the protest, the bridge stayed closed for longer than originally planned.[15] The Harbour tunnel remained open[17] and trains still crossed the bridge during the closure.[17] At least 700 police officers were stationed on the day.[9]

Some protesters carried pots and pans as symbols of the starvation in Gaza.[18]

Shutdown

At 3:00 pm, police sent out a mass text message to phones in Sydney ordering the protest be stopped due to safety concerns.[19] A police helicopter was stationed over the protest ordering people to walk back towards the city.[19] The Palestine Action Group said that there were "too many people" and co-operated with police.[20] The mass message read "In consultation with the organisers, the march needs to stop due to public safety and await further instructions."[20] Protesters were asked to turn around and walk back to Wynyard, rather than continuing north past the bridge.[21]

The bridge was reopened by 5:00 pm.[22]

Attendance

Prior to the day, around 50,000 people were expected to attend.[23]

The large amount of protesters led to concerns of crowd crushing. During the march, police estimated there were 50,000-100,000 protesters.[9] Other estimates were as low as 25,000.[15] Acting police commissioner Peter McKenna gave an estimate of 90,000 people immediately after the protest,[2] while Action for Palestine said the numbers could be as high as 300,000.[2][24]

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Adam Johnson said that the numbers made police concerned about lives being lost, and called the situation "perilous".[22]

Among the protesters were WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,[9] activist and former soccer player Craig Foster,[9] Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi,[9] former state premier Bob Carr,[15] boxer Anthony Mundine,[15] journalist Antoinette Lattouf[15] journalist Antony Loewenstein,[15] actor Meyne Wyatt,[15] writer Randa Abdel-Fattah,[15] City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore,[15] former government minister Ed Husic,[25] and journalist Mary Kostakidis.[26] Several MPs from the New South Wales state parliament also showed up including Jihad Dib, a minister in the state government, and federal Labor senators including Tony Sheldon.[24]

Co-occurring protests

At the same time as the Harbour Bridge protest, an estimated 25,000 protesters gathered at the State Library Victoria in Melbourne.[27] Free Palestine Coalition, the organisers, said that their protest was in solidarity with the Sydney one.[9] The protesters were met by a police blockade when they attempted to cross the King Street Bridge.[15]

Response

The march was criticised by Liberal party leader Sussan Ley, who said that the protest "doesn't sound peaceful" and questioned the bridge being shut down.[9]

Premier Chris Minns also expressed opposition to the march,[9] especially the location,[28] which led to some criticism by his own party.[29]

Stephen Lawrence of the state Labor party criticised what he called the state's "slow and steady demonisation of protest" comparing it to the police violence during the first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney in 1978.[30]

Support for the march was expressed by Amnesty International, the Jewish Council of Australia,[31] and the nurses and midwives association and other trade unions.[10]

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry expressed disapproval of the court ruling to allow the protest.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Abbott, Matthew (3 August 2025). "Palestine Action Group's March for Humanity across Sydney Harbour Bridge – in pictures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Readfearn, Graham (3 August 2025). "100,000 people came out to march across Sydney Harbour Bridge, police say – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Hsu, Cordelia; Gralow, Jill; and Hobson, Peter (3 August 2025). Feast, Lincoln (ed.). "Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian march over Sydney Harbour Bridge". Reuters. Sydney, Canberra. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Supreme Court to decide on pro-Palestinian Harbour Bridge protest case on Saturday". SBS News. AAP, Reuters. 1 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Thousands pour onto iconic Sydney bridge for Gaza". Otago Daily Times. AAP. 3 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  6. ^ Cassidy, Caitlin and Beazley, Jordyn (4 August 2025). "The horror of Gaza called and a mass of rain-soaked Sydney Harbour Bridge marchers, young and old, came in full force". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b McKinnell, Jamie (2 August 2025). "Pro-Palestinian march across Sydney Harbour Bridge allowed to go ahead, judge rules". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  8. ^ Brancatisano, Emma (29 July 2025). "Police say they will seek to block pro-Palestinian march over Sydney Harbour Bridge". SBS News. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Pro-Palestinian protesters cross Sydney Harbour Bridge, rally in central Melbourne to highlight humanitarian situation in Gaza". ABC News. 3 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Sadrolodabaee, Niv (2 August 2025). "Police 'scrambling' as pro-Palestinian Sydney Harbour Bridge march gets green light". SBS News. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  11. ^ a b McKinnell, Jamie (1 August 2025). "Judgement reserved for Pro-Palestinian Sydney Harbour Bridge march at centre of legal challenge". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  12. ^ a b Belot, Henry and Kelly, Cait (2 August 2025). "'Immense' pro-Palestine march to cross Sydney Harbour Bridge as police prepare for five-hour shutdown". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  13. ^ Watson, Katy; Wilson, Tabby (3 August 2025). "Tens of thousands turn out for Sydney pro-Palestine march". BBC News. Sydney Harbour Bridge. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  14. ^ Farid, Farid; Bannister, Maeve; Wishart, Charlotte; and Karp, Paul (2 August 2025). "Harbour Bridge pro-Palestinian march to go ahead". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kearns, Brendan; Zemek, Steve; and Evans, Duncan (3 August 2025). "'Free Palestine': Police flag 'crush' safety fears as huge numbers turn out for Sydney Harbour Bridge protest". news.com.au. NewsWire. Archived from the original on 2 August 2025.
  16. ^ Sadrolodabaee, Nic (3 August 2025). "'Major disruptions': What to know about the pro-Palestinian Harbour Bridge march". SBS News. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  17. ^ a b McKinnell, Jamie (2 August 2025). "Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters expected for 'historic' march across Sydney Harbour Bridge". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian march over Sydney Harbour Bridge". The News International. Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  19. ^ a b Beazley, Jordyn and Cassidy, Caitlin (3 August 2025). "Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  20. ^ a b Glover, April; Swain, Sarah (3 August 2025). "Police feared crowd crush amid 'perilous' pro-Palestine Sydney Harbour Bridge march". Nine News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  21. ^ Griffiths, Neil (3 August 2025). "Pro-Palestinian Sydney March Stopped Due to 'Public Safety'". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  22. ^ a b Lock, Samantha; Farid, Farid; and Bannister, Maeve (3 August 2025). "'Perilous': largest-ever Gaza protest packs bridge". The Armidale Express. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  23. ^ Belot, Henry; Beazley, Jordyn; and Kolovos, Benita (2 August 2025). "A large pro-Palestine protest has won legal right to march across Harbour Bridge. How will the shutdown affect Sydney?". The Guardian. Expaliner. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  24. ^ a b Schultz, Amber; Whitbourn, Michaela; O'Sullivan, Matt; Maddison, Max; and Chrysanthos, Natassia (3 August 2025). "'Monumental': 90,000 halt city with march across Harbour Bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  25. ^ Sadrolodabaee, Niv (3 August 2025). "'This is our bridge': Pro-Palestinian march takes over iconic Sydney landmark, in pictures". SBS News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  26. ^ Karp, Paul (3 August 2025). "Huge turnout forces Gaza protest to turn around on Harbour Bridge". Australian Financial Review. AAP. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  27. ^ Grieve, Charlotte and McMillan, Ashleigh (3 August 2025). "100,000 march in Melbourne and Sydney to protest Israel's bombardment of Gaza". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  28. ^ "NSW Police deny pro-Palestinian protesters permission to march across Sydney Harbour Bridge". ABC News. 29 July 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  29. ^ Viñales, Pablo (30 July 2025). "Chris Minns faces criticism from Labor MPs over pro-Palestinian march on Sydney Harbour Bridge". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  30. ^ McLeod, Catie and Beazley, Jordyn (1 August 2025). "Decision delayed for pro-Palestine protest on Sydney Harbour Bridge as police warn of possible crowd crush". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  31. ^ "Jewish Council Backs Sydney Harbour Bridge Protest". Mirage News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
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