Police have indicated they will seek far-reaching "extraordinary" powers ahead of a planned rally by supporters of Palestine in Sydney on the weekend.
Originally planned as a march from Town Hall, the event is now planned to be a "static rally" at Hyde Park.
The organisers, Palestine Action Group Sydney, said the change was made to reduce the legal risks of the event.
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"This will be a static rally, we will not march but we will be loud, we will be proud and we will show the state that we are in full support of the Palestinian people and will not bow down to their attempts to silence our movement," it said.
Police yesterday said the group had filed a permission form for the protest after the seven-day minimum notice period.
Acting Commissioner Dave Hudson told reporters today he believed there was cause for officers at the event to be granted special powers first used during the 2005 Cronulla riots.
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"I can indicate that the powers we are considering authorising will include any person who attends Hyde Park on Sunday with the intention to assemble, and perhaps protest, will be subject to searching powers where we don't need reasonable cause to search," he said.
"We will also be demanding that they provide us with their identity and if they fail to do so it is an offence.
"These are extraordinary powers."
Hudson said he expected police would know in the next 24 hours if these powers would be available to officers at the event.
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He said their potential availability did not necessarily mean they would be used.
At the most extreme, they grant police the power to impose a lockdown on the city.
Hudson said that police would not be using that option.
He said several hundred people were expected to attend the rally, but the numbers were uncertain.
