Australia: Human rights organizations and firearms advocates raise concerns over new fixed-term laws following Bondi shooting
Human rights groups and firearms advocates in Australia have voiced their concerns that new fast-tracked laws will impose excessive restrictions on weapons and freedom of speech at demonstrations, following the shooting events in the Bondi area.
Last Monday, the New South Wales (NSW) state government recalled parliament to discuss a set of new legislations, which include a ban on the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” limits on the number of firearms a license holder can own, and an expansion of police powers regarding demonstrations.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said some people might feel these changes “go too far,” but added they are necessary to safeguard society and its safety.
For his part, a politician supporting gun ownership asserted that these laws cast a blanket accusation against legal license holders, while civil libertarians argued that restrictions on demonstrations represent an assault on democracy.
Regarding the ban on the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” Minns said its use in demonstrations in Australia and globally “means a call for a global uprising. That’s what it means. Not in the Middle East, not in Israel or Gaza, but right here in Sydney.”
He added: “I truly believe this has an impact on culture, the environment, and creates massive division,” noting that it “threatens to spark violent clashes.”
The use of this common phrase dates back to the period of the Palestinian Intifada against the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in 1987.
Some consider the phrase a call for violence against Jews, while others see it as a call for peaceful protest against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and its policies toward Gaza.
In the wake of the Bondi attacks, which claimed the lives of 15 people, the Jewish community accused the Australian government of not taking sufficient steps to protect it from the growing escalation of persecution directed against it.
The new laws will grant police additional powers to limit protests and gatherings in front of religious sites, with stiff fines for violators of these restrictions.
Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said the new law ignores a recent decision by the state’s Supreme Court, which affirmed that forced “move-on” powers at places of worship contradict the freedom of political expression implied in the Australian Constitution.
Roberts also emphasized that religious institutions exercise significant and direct political influence in Australian politics and are “a lawful place for protest in a democratic society.”
He argued that “the laws introduced today represent an assault on our right to assemble and exchange information,” expressing hope that they would not “threaten democracy.”
He added that Minns wants social cohesion but does not know the meaning of the term. Roberts pointed out that “he sees silence as peace and does not seem to realize it can also reflect oppression. Adopting laws that oppress a part of our community in the wake of an attack like the one we witnessed will not bring us closer; it will lead us to drift apart and scatter, and will prevent us from healing properly in these difficult, painful times.”
Police will also be able to remove face coverings from participants in demonstrations who are suspected of committing any offense, including non-serious offenses, while protesting.
Previously, police could only remove face coverings from protesters suspected of committing the crimes of riot or criminal picketing.
Regarding changes to firearm laws, the new laws will prevent license holders in NSW from owning more than four firearms, with exceptions for primary producers and sports shooters who can own up to 10.
These amendments will apply to licenses issued in NSW, implementing similar policies introduced in Western Australia this year aimed at limiting armed ownership.
In other parts of the country, there are no specific limits on the number of weapons.
One of the gunmen who carried out the Bondi attack, Sajid Akram, owned six firearms registered in his name.
Other changes related to firearm laws include increasing the frequency of license renewals from once every five years to every two years, and assessing the types of firearms available to most license holders in the country.
Mark Banasiak, representing the “Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party,” a party that works to amend firearm laws toward licensing, said the 260,000 firearm license holders in NSW are being punished and made “scapegoats” for administrative failures in law enforcement agencies.
He added: “We are turning away from the real problem,” asserting that “it is a climate of hatred and division that has been allowed to fester for two and a half years because the government did not take enough action to stop this.”
However, Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and two daughters in a shooting massacre in an Australian southern state in 1996—the deadliest shooting incident in Australian history—welcomed the new reforms, noting they “will close critical loopholes in our firearm laws” and put community safety first.
The government will also target hate speech and extremist symbols, as well as grant police the authority to ban demonstrations for up to three months following a terrorist attack.
Josh Lees, spokesperson for the “Palestine Action Group,” said the new laws are “knowingly and dramatically repressive.”
He argued that Australia “sees itself as a safe country where freedom of speech is considered fundamentally important,” but noted that the Bondi shooting “could significantly change democracy and freedom in the country.”
David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, emphasized that attempts to ban “intifada” chants represent a “pivotal moment” in confronting hatred and incitement.
He also welcomed the strengthening of police powers during demonstrations.
He said that “the right to protest is a fundamental universal value and extremely important in a democratic society,” while simultaneously asserting that “there has never been a right to hide one’s face and raise slogans calling for violence against fellow members of the Australian community or to encourage the prayers of organizations committed to killing and destroying others.”
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