‘Take us to court’: Pro-Palestine protesters challenge police over bridge march

Pro-Palestine protesters dared police to take them to court over a planned march across Brisbane’s Story Bridge after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on Monday.

Queensland police rejected plans put forward last week by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin to march across the bridge on Sunday, deeming it unsafe and urging organisers to choose another route.

Organiser Remah Naji declared the protest would go ahead as planned – despite the two parties failing to reach an agreement during mediation at Brisbane Magistrates Court – saying it’s now up to police to take the group to court if they want to prevent it from happening.

“We entered into those negotiations in good faith with a genuine willingness to listen, engage constructively, and make reasonable accommodations to work collaboratively with the police and make this march happen,” Naji said.

“Unfortunately, the mediation did not lead to a resolution, despite our best efforts, and now the onus is on the police to take us to court to prevent us from marching on the 24th of August.”

A QPS spokesperson said: “Police will lodge documentation with Brisbane Magistrates Court for a decision to be made with respect to the Notice of Intention to Hold a Public Assembly.”

The spokesperson also referred to previous statements regarding safety concerns and “significant disruption to the rights and freedoms of other members of the community”.

Naji said more than 120 “highly trained and experienced marshals” would be in attendance on Sunday, and organisers spent yesterday upskilling for an event of this size.

The Story Bridge protest is part of nationwide action planned for Sunday, with marches to be held in Canberra, Sydney, Darwin, Hobart and Melbourne.

It follows a march across Sydney Harbour Bridge this month that drew more than 100,000 people, far exceeding police and organisers’ expectations.

Naji said about 7000 protesters were expected to attend the Brisbane event, which would be the biggest-ever turnout for the cause in the city since the group started holding rallies almost two years ago.

Asked why crossing the Story Bridge was so important, Naji said it was “necessitated by the gravity of the situation in Gaza” which “demands visibility”.

“We’ve seen what happened at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and that incredible show of solidarity to push the government to change the rhetoric and announce things like the recognition of Palestine.

“We want to apply the maximum pressure on the government to do something and act in the case of genocide.”

Premier David Crisafulli said this month assessment of the application to march was a matter for police, but “shutting down a city is no way to endear Queenslanders to your cause”.

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