Protests attacking Israel planned at Sydney Opera House and Central Park to coincide with Oct 7 two-year anniversary

New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies: “Now, at a time when Israel and the Arab and Islamic world have embraced a comprehensive peace plan to end the war, these protesters want to return to the Opera House to continue their demonization of Israel and the Jewish community.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Anti-Israel activists are preparing large-scale demonstrations in Sydney and New York City on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre, reviving the same slogans and themes that marked the infamous rallies in the days immediately following the 2023 attack on southern Israel.

In Australia, the Palestine Action Group Sydney announced a national day of protest next Sunday, with events planned in nearly 20 cities, including Perth, Melbourne, and Canberra.

The Sydney rally is expected to march toward the Sydney Opera House—despite officials declaring the site off limits due to safety concerns.

“NSW Police are seeking to block our march,” group spokesperson Amal Naser said on Instagram. “We see this as an outrageous attempt to criminalize Palestinian voices and to silence those who speak out against genocide.”

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said Friday that demonstrations would not be allowed at the Opera House. The decision followed objections from the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, which said the protest echoes the hate-filled rallies that took place there two years ago.

“This demonstration cannot be allowed to proceed,” the board said in a statement. “Now, at a time when Israel and the Arab and Islamic world have embraced a comprehensive peace plan to end the war, these protesters want to return to the Opera House to continue their demonization of Israel and the Jewish community.”

The group accused the organizers of exploiting the Palestinian cause to “spread their deep and irrational hatred of Israel,” adding that if they truly cared about peace, “they would be on the streets demanding Hamas accept the peace plan.”

Meanwhile, in the United States, the organization Within Our Lifetime (WOL) has called on supporters to “flood New York City for Gaza” on October 7—a slogan echoing Hamas’s name for its 2023 massacre, Operation al-Aqsa Flood.