Around 100 anti-war, environmental and social justice advocates turned out this morning at the Supreme Court of NSW, on Gadigal Land, to attend a press conference and rally against the extension of draconian anti-protest laws in NSW. The legislation was rammed through parliament by the Minns State Labor government on the back of dubious claims about a so-called “anti-semitic” “terrorist” incident earlier this year, after explosives were found in an abandoned caravan in Dural. This incident now seems to be a bungled organised crime deal gone wrong. There are questions about who in the government and police knew about this and when, and what role these events had on implementing the anti-protest legislation..
The Palestine Action Group (Sydney) are challenging these laws in the Supreme Court, arguing they are unconstitutional as they threaten the right to protest and are based on false, race-based allegations. The new laws open up the possibility for police to shutdown or ban protests near places of worship. With the number of churches and other places of worship scattered throughout Sydney’s CBD, that would potentially preclude most protest movement around Australia’s biggest city. Premier Minns is refusing to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into the Dural caravan ‘hoax’, which was the catalyst for these laws.
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