Pro-Palestine activists have launched legal action against the New South Wales government, claiming the use of the Major Events Act during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit was a misuse of authority. The Palestine Action Group and its legal team argue that the broad police powers granted under the Act—enabling searches without reasonable suspicion across significant areas of Sydney—were applied not for legitimate security reasons but to obstruct political demonstrations. They assert this represents an indirect method of restricting protest rights, undermining constitutional protections for free assembly.
The case centers on whether legislation designed for major public events like concerts or sports festivals is appropriately applied to suppress political dissent. Activists maintain that such sweeping measures create a chilling effect on civic expression and question the proportionality of the response. If upheld, the ruling could influence how state governments manage protests in the future, setting a precedent on the limits of emergency powers and the protection of civil liberties in Australia.