Minns won’t intervene as ‘intifada’ event heads to council hall

Senior state and federal politicians have declined to intervene in a controversial pro-Palestinian forum scheduled to be held at a City of Sydney venue.

This is despite strong objections from Jewish community leaders and victims’ families.

The event, titled Why It’s Right to Say ‘Globalise the Intifada’, is due to take place on May 5 at the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre, a council-owned facility. It is being organised by activist group ‘Stop The War On Palestine’.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he opposed the event but would not contact Lord Mayor Clover Moore to seek its cancellation, arguing such an approach would be ineffective.

“I’m not going to do that, because the chances of her listening to me are zero,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

The Premier added that if he had control over the council, “things would be radically different in the city”.

Minns said the government had no power to cancel the event unless there was a breach of the law.

The stance has been echoed at both state and federal levels. Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig said venue hire decisions sit with councils, while a spokesperson for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pointed to existing hate crime laws without indicating any direct intervention.

The debate centres on the phrase “globalise the intifada”, which many Jewish organisations argue is a call to violence. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has said the term refers to violent campaigns targeting civilians, rather than a general call for protest. It has recently been banned in Queensland.

Minns has previously described the slogan as “violent, hateful rhetoric” in the aftermath of the December 14 Bondi terror attack, which killed 15 people at a Chanukah event.

Community concern has intensified ahead of the forum. Sheina Gutnick, whose father Reuven Morrison was among those killed, said she had sought engagement with the council but had not received a response.

“We are really looking forward to speaking with them about how local leaders really can take a stand to reduce hate, rather than allowing it to flourish in the dark corners,” she said.

Jewish leaders have also criticised the decision to allow the event to proceed.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told the Telegraph: “It is easy for political leaders to condemn and commiserate after an attack. It takes leadership to do something to stop it. We’re waiting for Clover Moore’s response.”

National Council of Jewish Women Australia president Lynda Ben-Menashe said the decision to allow the event raised serious concerns about the use of public venues.

City of Sydney councillor Lyndon Gannon said Jewish community members were “horrified” that the event was going ahead and had raised serious concerns.

Mr Gannon stated he will raise a notice of motion at the next council meeting seeking an update from the NSW government on proposed hate speech law reforms.

Those reforms remain under consideration. A parliamentary committee has recommended the government examine whether phrases such as “globalise the intifada” should be prohibited, but officials have warned of legal complexity and possible constitutional challenges.

Supporters of the event argue the word “intifada” means “uprising” and is used in a political context. Critics reject that interpretation, pointing to its association with periods of sustained violence during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which included car bombings and similar terrorist attacks.

The City of Sydney has indicated it cannot block events of this kind unless they breach the law, reflecting the limits on council powers over venue hire decisions.