Police presence has been beefed up around Sydney and Melbourne ahead of expected pro-Palestine protests.
Hundreds of officers are on standby in both capital cities today in anticipation October 7 rallies will spill onto the streets and cause disruptions.
Organisers expect around 5000 protesters to gather in Hyde Park in Sydney, which was shifted from Town Hall at the last minute.
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Meanwhile, more than 260 officers are expected to line the streets of Melbourne to armour the city from the planned protests outside the State Library of Victoria.
Nationals leader David Littleproud called on protesters to “go back into their corner” ahead of today’s rallies.
“I think enough’s enough, we’ve got the point, this has gone on for 12 months,” he told Today.
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“We understand you have a right to protest here in this country, we celebrate that, but at this juncture I think it’s time for everyone to go back into their corner and respect this is a very conflict that very few of us are going to be able to solve.”
Police are on alert after issuing a rare statement warning protesters that anything other than peaceful rallies will not be tolerated.
Activists have been warned it’s a serious offence to promote, encourage or praise terrorism.
“In Australia, there are offences that prohibit behaviour that incites or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion, including the display of prohibited symbols in public under these circumstances,” the joint AFP, state and territory police statement read.
“It is also a serious offence to counsel, promote, encourage, urge, instruct or praise terrorism.”
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Plans for rallies this weekend and on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly surprise attack on Israel last year that saw 1200 Israeli people killed and more than 200 kidnapped, have sparked controversy this week.
In NSW, Central Metropolitan Region Commander and Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said police will be out today for public safety reasons.
An Adelaide protest will also go ahead after police said organisers had satisfied all legal requirements.
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