Overview

• New South Wales’ Court of Appeal unanimously granted police a prohibition order on the planned 12 October march to the Sydney Opera House.
• The order does not bar the rally outright but strips participants of the immunity that usually shields authorised assemblies from offences such as obstructing roads.
• Judges cited likely attendance of about 40,000 against a forecourt capacity near 6,000 and few exit points, warning of crowd‑crush danger along a route with pinch points.
• The Opera House’s acting CEO said full security screening is standard for mass gatherings, a step the bench noted could create bottlenecks and worsen congestion risks.
• Police testimony called the plan a “disaster written all over it,” while organisers argued for staggered arrivals and sought urgency based on Gaza; the court declined to make a genocide finding in the rushed proceedings.