Testimony at a royal commission hearing says police effectively “gave control” of Sydney’s CBD to pro-Palestine protesters who gathered around the Sydney Opera House. Multiple outlets report that a Jewish community leader told the commission that this occurred two days after the 7 October attack. The witness characterises police actions as handing over operational control of the area to protesters, according to the reports. The articles present the claim as part of evidence being heard by the commission, rather than a final finding. No outlet included details indicating the commission has reached a conclusion on the allegation, or provided police responses to the testimony in the excerpts available. The reporting is aligned on the central point: the allegation concerns the timing after 7 October and the impact on control of the CBD during the Opera House protests. Overall, the stories convey that the commission is examining policing and security decisions in the period following the attack, with the testimony from a community leader forming one piece of that broader inquiry.