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Senior NSW Police officers were concerned by the Minns government’s decision to light the sails of the Opera House in the Israeli flag colours after the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, worrying about the “impact it might have on our streets”.
A tranche of internal police documents reveal police only became aware of the Minns government’s call to light the Opera House sails shortly before the news was made public, scrambling to compile a “threat assessment”.
Three demonstrators were arrested after a pro-Palestine rally outside the Opera House on October 9, when anti-Jewish epithets were hurled into the night air.Credit: AP
The documents, released via a parliamentary order, outline how a senior officer wrote to colleagues “in confidence” on Sunday, October 8 at 6.10pm to say that the Premier’s office had “indicated they will be lighting the Opera House sails in blue and white” on the following night.
The author of the email said that acting NSW police commissioner, Dave Hudson and himself were “equally concerned” about the “impact this might have on our streets”.
It says states the officers were also concerned about a “potential further escalation of current tensions in the Jewish/Israeli communities”.
The documents do not state whether police raised their concerns with either the Premier’s office or Police Minister Yasmin Catley. The Sydney Morning Herald has contacted both the Premier and Catley’s offices for comment.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly defended the decision to light the sails of the Opera House in the colours of the Israeli flag despite concerns raised by senior police.Credit: Jessica Hromas
However, text exchanges on the Sunday before the protest reveal Hudson planned to “speak to the minister” about “any increased tension in the community this action [lighting the sails] may cause”.
“The commissioner is concerned the government’s decision to light the Opera House may cause us some additional problems in the community and is seeking an assessment on any additional threat it may cause,” an officer wrote in a text to a colleague.
The documents also show police were only told of the plan shortly before it was announced to the public. In the 6.10pm email on Sunday, officers requested an “urgent threat assessment” of “what the impact/risk of lighting sails at 7pm tomorrow evening may mean”.
Despite saying the information had been provided to police by the Premier’s office “in confidence”, a reply by another officer, Benjamin Whitmore, 14 minutes later stated “FYI, the news just reported that the sails would light up tomorrow night so the cats out the bag there”.
The decision to light the Opera House sails caused consternation among pro-Palestinian activists, with some protestors changed anti-Semitic slurs on the night of the rally. Minns has repeatedly defended the decision to light up the Opera House.
Police, however, were internally concerned about the decision, and received intelligence that members of the Palestinian community were “incensed” by the move.
In an email, another officer stated that during a conversation with a member of the pro-Palestinian movement he had been told that “the Opera House is now the location for the protest … the reason for the move is the sails of the Opera House being lite (sic) up”.
“That is a significant concern for the Palestinian Community and they are incensed by that decision.”
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