Premier Minns has announced plans to rush laws through parliament in an extraordinary sitting that would outlaw mass protests and drastically remove impartial judicial oversight, forcing a divisive political conversation while communities are raw and reeling with deep grief from the antisemitic attacks in Bondi less than a week ago.

Under these new laws, Minns will remove independent judicial oversight, a key tenet of democracy, and give the Police Commissioner and Minister for Police powers to ban peaceful community protests for up to three months following a terrorist incident. This could include part of the state or the entire state of New South Wales. This establishes a dangerous precedent that could be extended to protests against many areas of community concern after crises, including climate action, gendered violence and First Nations justice. 

“People across the community share in grief and deep distress after the antisemitic attack on the Jewish community in Bondi and we should all be afforded the dignity of wise and thoughtful leadership that guides us to unity and safety from hate, and does not thrust divisive debates upon us that will undermine our collective safety and democratic checks on power,” said Isabelle Reinecke, Founder and Executive Director, Grata Fund. 

“Premier Minns must give the entire community the respect and time to grieve and then take careful and thoughtful steps in response that appropriately and effectively curb antisemitism and racist hate and violence across Australia, rather than falling into the trap set by terrorists who seek to divide us by rushing through a ban on peaceful community protest and removing critical democratic judicial oversight that will increase division, reduce opportunities to safely express concern over social issues and reduce trust in government,” said Ms Reinecke. 

Everyone has the right to be safe when we gather in our communities and celebrate traditions and faith with our family and friends. Anti-semitism and Islamophobia is rising in our community, and we must address this, ensure the Jewish and Muslim communities are safe, that all of us can live our lives free from fear and violence and together resist all attempts to stoke hate and division.

In August, up to 300,000 people distressed by the violence and genocide occurring in Gaza, peacefully walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is legitimate and fair that people in our community are able to express their views peacefully through protest. 

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice found that there was a plausible risk of Israel committing genocide in Gaza. Since then, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have found that genocide is occurring in Gaza.

The Palestine Action Group, which organised the march across the bridge, has made clear that it has no protests planned. Meanwhile, there are reports of far-right actors attempting to sow hate and division through misinformation, presenting themselves as Palestinian rights protestors. Premier Minns and all political leaders must ensure they do not fall into the trap set by nefarious actors, and clearly differentiate between legitimate peaceful community protests and far-right groups with ideologies of hate.

Minns’ plans also occur in the context of creeping restrictions on the right to protest that are impacting the ability of communities to peacefully express their concerns on a range of pressing social issues. Last year a global study found that Australian police are world leaders at arresting climate and environmental protests, bolstered by legislation that criminalises protest. Australia’s arrest rate was the highest of 14 countries in the global study, including India, the UK, the United States, Brazil, Turkiye and Russia. The NSW Government and NSW police have repeatedly had their undemocratic overreach of power checked by courts for protests, including Black Lives Matter, protests against the genocide in Palestine and climate protests, including Rising Tide.

Australia has a proud history of protest where communities have built a fairer, more just society through actions like the Reconciliation walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, school climate strikes, Iraq war peace protests, women’s action for equal pay and union protests for safe workplaces. We call on our political leaders to protect these fundamental democratic strengths as they work to address rising antisemitism and racist hate across Australia.  

No spokespeople are available for further comment.