Barnaby Joyce to join Sydney anti-immigration rally despite calls for calm

Sunday will mark a day of reflection to honour the 15 victims of last week’s terror attack in Bondi as Premier Chris Minns urges those planning to attend a Sydney anti-immigration rally promoted by One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce to stay away.

Joyce urged his supporters to join the rally in central Sydney that calls for the government to be “sacked” despite pleas from the premier for a summer of calm.

“Don’t do it. Don’t go ahead with it right now – people are burying their dead,” Minns told Nine’s Today program on Sunday.

“They’re coming together as a community, the Jewish community – coming together to mourn the loss of so many people in their family.”

NSW Police confirmed organisers of the rally applied for authorisation on Wednesday, but police opposed the application and subsequent negotiations broke down.

“Without this authorisation, the event is not legally protected as an authorised assembly and individuals who choose to attend may be liable for obstruction and unlawful assembly offences,” police said in a statement.

“This is not a time for public gatherings that may heighten tension.”

Minns will introduce new legislation on Monday to ban large protests in the wake of a terror attack. He said any protests would attract a massive police presence.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the rallies “seeking to sow division” should not go ahead.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured a week ago when gunmen Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, opened fire with long-arm rifles on a gathering of Jewish people at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.

Thirteen people wounded in the attack remain in hospitals across the city. Four are in a critical but stable condition, which means their injuries are life-threatening but not expected to quickly deteriorate.

Australians have been invited to light a candle at 6.47pm on Sunday and observe a minute’s silence to mark a week since the attack unfolded.

“The National Day of Reflection will be observed on the final day of Chanukah, a time traditionally associated with light, faith and resilience, making the loss felt by the Jewish community even more profound,” the prime minister’s department said in a statement.

Flags on Sunday will fly at half-mast, buildings will be lit in yellow, and lights will beam into the sky from Bondi Pavilion.

The premier has said NSW will hold a state-led royal commission into the attack.

“We need to have an independent investigation,” Minns said on Channel Seven’s Sunrise on Sunday.

“I’ve got bits and pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. We know parts of why this occurred on Sunday but until we have the full picture, and I can explain that to the people of NSW, well, our job’s not done.”

He said the terms of reference for the royal commission have not yet been drafted.

“I’m not going to draft them until I speak to leaders of the Jewish community who’ve been burying their dead this week.”

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