Hundreds of police are expected to gather in the city ahead of midday.Mr Elliott said those who broke the law would face the consequences.“There will be a strong police presence in the city in preparation of the protest,” he said.“Given how quickly we are heading towards the easing of restrictions, I’m appealing to protesters to reconsider and stay at home.”“We’ve seen past protesters end up contracting COVID-19, so anyone who is still considering protesting needs to take a good hard look at themselves.”It comes as the third weekend in several months that police have moved out in force to stop anti-lockdown protests.An initial protest in late July saw thousands flock to the CBD in a violent gathering which saw police assaulted and pelted with pot plants as well as a police horse punched.A second gathering organised on August 21 was swiftly shut down by police, while more than 70 smaller protests outside dozens of local council buildings 10 days later saw more than 600 Covid fines issued.More than 100 people have been charged following the three separate protests and all remain before the courts. One of the state’s top cops, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, said the operation would be set up similarly to previous weekends to try and stop large groups from gathering.“We are continuing to monitor online commentary ahead of tomorrow and have put in place an extremely mobile police operation with significant resources, to respond to whatever situation we are faced with,” Dep Comm Lanyon said.NED-4090-Greater-Sydney-Restrictions-map“Engaging in an unauthorised protest does not comply with the public health order and anyone choosing to attend or participate for that purpose should expect to be met by the police and face penalties ranging from a fine to being arrested.”He added: “I would again appeal to the community to do your part to protect your loved ones and the wider community by staying at home, unless you are complying with the requirements of the public health order.”
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