There were the doomsdayers, the moaners and, let’s face it, the ill-wishers, hoping that a march across one of the most famous bridges in Australia would not take place.  Despite this, some 100,000 people attended the March for Humanity gathering which began in Sydney’s central business district on 3rd August, before crossing to the Sydney Harbour Bridge to North Sydney.  The pressing topic: a demand to end the barbarous conflict in Gaza.  Instances of drama, violence, and mayhem, were conspicuously lacking.  “There was nothing of the sort, there was a beautiful, peaceful mass protest without any incidents,” said Palestine Action Group organiser Joshua Lees.

The numbers of those attending are not clear, though they far exceeded what organisers envisaged.  The PAG claim that the numbers may well have been as high as 300,000; NSW police put it at 90,000.  It would have never taken place had the NSW Labor government had its way.  Premier Chris Minns had vocally opposed the protest, claiming in a statement on 28 July that his government could not “support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week’s notice”.  The city could not be allowed to “descend into chaos.”  This apocalyptic drivel was unsurprising given NSW’s continuing dislike of lawful assembly and peaceful protest. 

The NSW police had also sought, and failed, to obtain a prohibition order in the state Supreme Court.  The order would not have banned attendees to the protest but would have........

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