The Queensland Police Service is to apply to Brisbane magistrates court for a decision on whether a planned pro-Palestine march over the Story Bridge can go ahead on Sunday. Organisers, Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, expect at least 7,000 people to attend the rally, which is scheduled to begin at 1pm.
Police oppose the march on public safety grounds, citing provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Act. A spokesperson confirmed that mediation with the protest group had taken place on Monday morning, but no agreement was reached. Officers presented two alternative locations, which were rejected by organisers.
Group spokesperson Remah Naji said organisers had briefed lawyers and were prepared for a legal fight. “We’re very much willing to defend our fundamental right to peaceful assembly,” she said. The development follows a similar attempt in New South Wales earlier this month, where a court overturned a police bid to deny legal protection to a Sydney Harbour Bridge protest. That event drew an estimated 90,000 people according to police, with organisers claiming closer to 300,000, and passed without major incident.
In Melbourne, meanwhile, protesters seeking to cross the King Street Bridge were met by officers in riot gear and mounted police. Naji said the Story Bridge march was essential because of the situation in Gaza. “This ongoing livestreamed genocide demands visibility. It is not enough for us to do the usual routes,” she said, adding that the aim was to apply maximum pressure on the government.
Justice for Palestine Magan-djin has held regular protests in Brisbane for the past 22 months, following the escalation of the conflict after Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. Palestinian health officials say more than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women, children and the elderly.
