Pro-Palestinian groups have organised vigils in Sydney and Wollongong on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel — drawing fierce condemnation from NSW Premier Chris Minns, the NSW Opposition and Jewish community leaders in a bitter clash over timing, grief and protest rights.
Two vigils on the third anniversary
The Sydney event, billed as a "Vigil for Gaza," is run by Jews Against the Occupation 48 and is set for 6pm at Sydney Town Hall. Wollongong Friends of Palestine will hold its vigil at 4pm at the Crown St Mall stage in Wollongong. A sit-in vigil is also planned outside Melbourne's State Library.
Jews Against the Occupation 48 has promoted its Town Hall vigil with the slogan "don't let Israel steal the date." The group said the event would not be a protest but a vigil to mark Israel's retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza on 7 October 2023 — the same day Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. The attacks triggered the Israel-Gaza war, in which Gaza health authorities estimate some 74,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Minns, the opposition — and a rebel — condemn the timing
Premier Chris Minns has publicly urged his Labor colleagues to stay away from the vigils, calling it "heartless" to hold the events on the anniversary of what he described as a "horrible and violent" attack. He accused the vigil organisers of attention-seeking: "I think these organisers, in many cases, thrive on the notoriety and the attention they get," he said.
"There are some people suggesting it can be stopped. The Constitution doesn't allow that. They can certainly do that – it's not against the law – but as a citizen, I've got a right to make a judgment on it too." — Chris Minns, NSW Premier
Minns conceded he was powerless to stop the vigils going ahead, citing Supreme Court and High Court decisions on the implied freedom of political communication: "History has proven I can't speak for all of them," he said of his MPs.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane labelled the vigils "sickening" and "provocative", demanding Minns "show some leadership" by ensuring Labor MPs did not attend. "To do it on this day shows their true motivation, which is to provoke," she said.
In a surprising twist, Minns even found an ally in one of his chief Labor antagonists: upper house MP Anthony D'Adam, a vocal supporter of the pro-Palestinian movement, labelled the vigils "unnecessary" and confirmed he would not attend. "What happened on October 7 was a war crime and a violation of human rights, so it's not something to celebrate," he said.
Jewish community leaders joined the condemnation. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin was among the critics, and the Australian Jewish Association called the Sydney event an "ugly" provocation. Jewish groups will hold their own dawn commemoration starting at 6.29am — the time Hamas' attack began — alongside an evening community event in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
What happens next
Minns says police will monitor the vigils: "We'll see if it is a silent vigil." Further pro-Palestine rallies to mark the anniversary are planned in more than a dozen Australian cities on Sunday as part of a "global day of action."
As the anniversary arrives, the question dividing Australia is stark: is a Gaza vigil on October 7 a legitimate act of mourning for Palestinian dead — or, as its critics insist, a deliberate provocation on the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust? The vigils will go ahead regardless, and the state's leaders will be watching what kind of vigils they turn out to be.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
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