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February 19, 2026 — 5:00am
NSW Labor faithful are warning there will be growing pressure on the premier in the lead-up to the party’s mid-year state conference to justify his approach to protests as branches pass motions condemning alleged police violence at last week’s pro-Palestine rally.
At least eight Labor branches have passed resolutions calling for reviews or inquiries into the events of the rally, where 10 people were charged over a demonstration against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, while two passed a motion thanking four rebel MPs who attended the Town Hall protest.
Former transport minister Jo Haylen wrote in reply to concerns from a constituent about the events of last Monday that she was horrified by the “confronting scenes”, and vowed to continue to fight for the right to peacefully protest.
“I have proudly participated in many actions for social justice and peace, including the March for Humanity over the Harbour Bridge. I intend to continue to do so and want all members of our community to also be able to gather together peacefully,” she wrote.
When contacted by the Herald, Haylen said she had been contacted by a number of her constituents, some of whom attended the rally anticipating a peaceful demonstration and were shocked by what happened.
“It was an incredibly difficult situation and it’s really disappointing that the protest organisers didn’t assist in facilitating a peaceful protest despite countless attempts by the NSW Police to hold the march at Hyde Park,” she said.
The state government and police have faced backlash from members of the Muslim community angered by footage showing protesters bowed in prayer being physically removed by police, despite a senior officer assuring them the prayers could continue.
The City and Haymarket branch voted to express their “disgust” at the police response to the rally, and wrote to the premier to call for an independent investigation.
“We are disappointed that it is a Labor government, and a government we worked to elect, [that] has presided over the terrible erosion of civil liberties in NSW,” branch secretary Alexis Wheatley said.
“We are deeply distressed that it is a Labor government that enabled the violence we saw against protesters at Town Hall … it was more reminiscent of the streets of Minneapolis and Trump’s America than a street protest in our democracy.”
The Enmore-Camdenville, Dungog, Harris Park and Parramatta branches all passed motions calling on the Minns government to repeal protest laws, including restrictions rushed through parliament in the wake of the Bondi massacre, which allow the NSW Police commissioner to restrict protest marches after a terror attack.
The Parramatta branch called for a commitment from Labor representatives to defend freedom of speech “regardless of the political sensitivities involved”.
The left-leaning Auburn-Lidcombe branch went as far as to call for Minns and police minister Yasmin Catley to resign for “blaming protesters” for the violence and failing to condemn alleged police brutality, among other things.
Padstow and King’s Cross branches passed motions thanking and supporting four Labor MPs – Stephen Lawrence, Sarah Kaine, Cameron Murphy and Anthony D’Adam – who attended the rally and spoke out in favour of an independent investigation.
The NSW Labor state conference will be held in July, the final one before next March’s state election, and while Palestine and Israel have always been divisive issues for the party, some senior figures are expecting rank-and-file members to be especially angry about anti-protest laws.
“This is a powerful reaction from all corners of the Labor Party united in outrage at the grave betrayal of Labor values driven by the premier,” co-convener of Labor Friends of Palestine Peter Moss said.
Minns remains staunchly defensive of police actions and the state’s protest laws, despite growing concerns from his own MPs.
The only Muslim MP in the cabinet and senior minister Jihad Dib last week said in a social media post that the aggressive disruption of evening prayers at the protest by NSW Police officers “never should have happened”. Minns, who is a close friend of Dib, said he did not agree with the minister’s post.
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