Police decisions during the October 2023 Opera House protest and a neo-Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament will come under scrutiny at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The commission will use the two demonstrations as case studies during hearings in Sydney on August 3 and 4.
The Royal Commission has announced that hearing Block 7 will examine the democratic role of protest, the hateful conduct that can accompany demonstrations and the police response.
It will also consider whether policing practices can be improved to combat antisemitism and strengthen social cohesion without undermining peaceful protest.
“The right to engage in peaceful protest is a fundamental attribute of democratic life,” royal commissioner Virginia Bell said.
“The commission’s focus in this hearing block will be on whether there are opportunities to improve the way police respond to antisemitic conduct in protest settings.”
The first case study will be the October 9, 2023 pro-Palestinian protest at the Sydney Opera House, two days after the Hamas attacks in Israel.
The Opera House sails were illuminated blue and white in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community. A rally that began at Town Hall later moved to the landmark, where protesters set off flares and fireworks and offensive chants were heard.
Police advised members of the Jewish community not to travel into the city, prompting criticism that they had been prevented from safely gathering at the site.
Claims that protesters chanted “gas the Jews” spread internationally. An independent analysis commissioned by NSW Police later found no evidence of that phrase in the recordings examined. Police said the chant was “where’s the Jews?” Other antisemitic and abusive language was recorded.
NSW Police said officers were managing a large and potentially volatile crowd and gave priority to public safety. Strike Force Mealing was established to investigate possible offences.
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson later told a NSW parliamentary inquiry that police received late notice of the march to the Opera House.
While officers could not stop the crowd walking through the city, he conceded police might, in hindsight, have prevented protesters from occupying the Opera House steps.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim told the royal commission the episode had a profound effect on Jewish Australians and damaged their confidence in Australia as a peaceful and tolerant country. He also stated that police made the “wrong call” at the Opera House.
The commission will also examine the November 8, 2025, rally outside NSW Parliament House.
About 60 black-clad men attended the demonstration, organised by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network under the name ‘White Australia’.
The group displayed a banner calling for the abolition of the “Jewish lobby” and chanted slogans associated with Nazi ideology.
NSW Police received a public-assembly notice on October 28 but did not oppose it, meaning the rally was treated as authorised under the Summary Offences Act.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon later said he had not been informed of the protest because of an internal communication failure. He ordered a review of the decision-making process.
Premier Chris Minns condemned the rally as a display of hatred, racism and antisemitism.
Wertheim told the commission police made the wrong call by allowing the demonstration to proceed, comparing the decision with the handling of the Opera House protest.