Statement of Concern - Police Presence and Information Gathering at Palestine Rally on November 5, 2023

On the 5th of November, Action Ready fielded a team of 6 Legal Observers to monitor policing of the rally organised by @Justice 4 Palestine Meanjin, @Brisbane, Brisbane Stands With Palestine, and @Queensland Muslims Inc. at Queens Gardens in Brisbane.

Action Ready is deeply concerned about the Queensland Police Service's heavy surveillance of individuals who attend protests, including the profiling of peaceful assembly participants solely for exercising their right to attend protests. This is particularly concerning in the context of these rallies where a large proportion of attendees are already at risk of over-policing, being from racialised backgrounds, refugee and migrant communities, and/or from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

During the rally, participants alerted legal observers to police officers taking down the registration details of cars with Palestinian flags in the vicinity of the protest. Consistent with previous weeks, and as part of a pattern of policing at protests, the team also observed police officers taking photos of attendees and identifying them on iPads. We consider the targeted collection of information on protestors is unjustified and has the effect of intimidating members of the public merely for engaging in peaceful assembly.

This kind of surveillance is emblematic of the police’s attitude towards peaceful assembly, where it is seen as something to be controlled, managed and scrutinised, rather than a civic right to be protected. We have previously witnessed the blatant targeting of protestors for vehicle inspections at other protests, and we are concerned the collection of information about protestors may enable targeted policing at future events and otherwise expose participants to increased policing. (https://www.facebook.com/ActionReadyQld/posts/pfbid02eoRUMdunmf7hs5WY6wRRKzqYR7kAoFgtntQnkU9MsMZ9g1M4Ndqn1SvBTXKv7RPPl).

We call on the Queensland Police Service to cease profiling attendees at future events organised in support of Palestine.