Protest curb to stop ‘riot’ over Israel president visit
Rallies planned ahead of the Israeli president’s visit to Australia will be restricted to prevent any riots.
Police must protect Isaac Herzog’s perimeter and allow Sydneysiders to visit the city center without being obstructed by protesters, NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned.
“This will not be easy, but you can expect restrictions to be implemented,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“A reasonable person will look at the circumstances and say, ‘We can’t have riots in Sydney’… and most people will expect the government and police to ensure public safety at this time.”
Controversial anti-protest restrictions were imposed on NSW Police after 15 people were killed in the Bondi terror attack on December 14.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon can make statements every two weeks for up to three months following a declared terrorist incident.
Mr Herzog will visit Australia on February 8, following an invitation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to show solidarity with the Jewish community in the wake of the massacre.
But the contentious visit was criticized by pro-Palestinian activists and legal groups for comments suggesting that Palestinians were collectively responsible for the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
United Nations Human Rights Council commission query He concluded that the statements he made in September could reasonably be interpreted as incitement to genocide.
Mr. Herzog denied the allegation and said his comments were taken out of context.
As protesters took to the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth on Sunday to demand the invitation be rescinded, activists promised the visit would be “incredibly uncomfortable”.
Mr Minns said he did not block Mr Lanyon’s decision to extend a ban on fortnightly protests, but security discussions continued.
“We have to strike a balance between the responsibility of the police to keep people safe and the desire of many people to protest,” he said.
Speaking generally before the announcement, racial discrimination commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said governments had a responsibility to allow different segments of society to express themselves freely.
“If you suppress protest because you seek social harmony, you are actually suppressing a democratic right,” he told AAP.
While the declaration does not explicitly ban protests, it does prevent organizers from obtaining warrants that prevent them from being arrested for obstructing traffic or pedestrians.
Protesters may also be instructed to continue even if they have participated in a static demonstration.
Mr Minns said restrictions on protest rules were reasonable in a Western country.
“Even in liberal democracies, there is an expectation that you will protect public safety … and that may mean keeping groups separate,” he said.
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