SYDNEY, Tuesday 10 February 2026 — In response to the violent attacks by NSW Police on peaceful protesters gathering in Sydney last evening, Dr Susie Byers, Head of Advocacy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“The right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy and a basic right of all Australians.
“The violent actions of NSW Police officers in Sydney last night are a significant escalation in the suppression of the right to protest in NSW, and part of a larger national trend of targeting and criminalising protesters. These actions have a chilling effect on democracy and peaceful protest in Australia, and are designed to curtail peaceful public dissent.
“These events can not be separated from what’s happening globally, with the erosion of civil liberties and rise of authoritarianism threatening democracy and human rights. Australia must not follow countries like the United States down this path.
“Greenpeace has a long and proud history of using nonviolent direct action and peaceful protest to achieve environmental protections and climate justice. Many of the freedoms and rights we cherish were won and defended when Australians stood up for what mattered — women’s right to vote, workers’ rights, and protecting the places we love from exploitation, from the Franklin River to the Great Barrier Reef.
“The NSW government must commit to protecting the right to protest and halt the introduction of further protest restrictions.”
-ENDS-
Media contact
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
