The couple have routinely travelled more than an hour from their home on NSW's Hawkesbury River to attend weekly rallies in Sydney, showing solidarity with those targeted in retaliation for the October 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas.
Jacki, 84, and Neil, 86, were even at the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, part of an outside gathering as police pushed to stop upcoming protests.
Jacki and Neil Dand said they were baffled at the police crackdown on protesters. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Despite almost a year of weekly, peaceful protests in Sydney, police cited public safety concerns about future demonstrations after a recent expansion of conflict in the Middle East.
But a deal struck between police and protest organisers will result in Sunday's event starting at Hyde Park, rather than the usual Sydney Town Hall venue.
The Dands said they would attend Sunday's event and were baffled at the police crackdown given the long history of peaceful demonstration.
"We missed three protests because we were on holiday in England, but we went to the Manchester rally when we were over there … we've been almost every week," Jacki told AAP.
"We have the right to protest, and they have no reason to stop us. I don't know why (the protests) are a problem now, just because it is this weekend."
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, during which about 1200 people were massacred and about 250 were taken hostage according to Israel.
Israel's counter-attack in occupied Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian officials, with the majority of its more than two million residents facing starvation.
Debate has swirled around how appropriate it is to demonstrate on October 7, although organisers have said the events would be vigils to remember the thousands of Gazans killed.
In court, protesters dropped their plans for an authorised protest on Monday.
The Dands won't attend any event on October 7 - "we live a long way out of town and we have to feed the horses at tea time," Jacki said - but don't have a problem with rallies taking place.
"It's not celebrating, it is just stating facts," Jacki said.
"It's not saying 'we're right and they're wrong', it is just a vigil for everybody that has lost their lives."
A small number of demonstrators flew the flag of Hezbollah - a listed terrorist organisation in Australia - at recent protests.
The Australian Federal Police confirmed it was investigating nine reports of prohibited symbols being displayed in Victoria, and predicted that number would increase.
In NSW, at least one woman has been charged with publicly displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.
12°C