50,000 protesters attend pro-Palestine rally at Sydney’s Hyde Park

Organisers claimed more than 50,000 people gathered in Sydney’s CBD at 1pm for a rally before attendees marched through the surrounding streets and returned to Hyde Park.

For the fifth consecutive week, protesters waved the red, green, white and black flag of Palestine, with several wearing the kyfiya scarf in solidarity.

Chants of: “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry, Palestine will never die,” were shouted by marchers.

Speeches from organisers called for a ceasefire and more action from the Australian government.

“I have a message for Anthony Albanese and I have a message for the Labor government: ‘What does Israel have to do to earn condemnation,’” said one speaker.

“You look around here today, there are not just Muslims today, there are Muslims, there are Christians, there are Jews from Palestine. Every single person has come here today in pursuit of justice.”

Earlier today Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated calls for Hamas to release Israeli hostages, however said the response couldn’t be “one-sided” and said a ceasefire agreement needed to be reached.

“We do call on Israel to cease the attacking of hospitals,” she said.

“We understand the argument that Hamas is burrowed into civilian infrastructure, but … I think the international community, looking at what is occurring in hospitals, would say to Israel: ‘These are facilities protected under international law and we want you to do so.’”

NSW Police held a highly visible presence on Sunday afternoon at both Hyde Park and in Moore Park, where a pro-Israel ‘Set Them Free’ rally was held at the same time.

Both events were attended by officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, and Operation Shelter.

In a statement, police said: “The NSW Police Force recognises and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, however, the first priority for NSW Police is always the safety and security of the wider community”.

On Sunday, NSW Premier Chris Minns said increased police presence for a major protests costed “in excess of a million dollars,” however said there were “good discussions” between major protest groups, like the Palestine Action Group and police.

“In recent weeks, there’s been good conversations between police and these groups, which have kept these protests civil (and) they’re going to have to continue to be because it’s our responsibility to keep the community safe,” he said.

Mr Minns said while he believed “increased and heightened protests” were likely to continue in the next few months, he implored groups to follow the rules.

“Protest is allowed in NSW but it needs to be done consistent with the law … You can’t allow hate speech in NSW, you can’t use it as a platform for racial vilification or incitement to violence, and the police have shown they will charge people who breach those rules,” he said.