Tough police powers to target ‘hate-promoting’ protests
Police can unmask protesters under strengthened state laws that also ban public displays of symbols linked to terrorist organizations.
Police will also have the power to reject applications for protests believed to incite hatred under bills to be introduced to the Western Australian parliament on Tuesday.
“We have seen a number of threats across Australia over the summer, including the anti-Semitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, to which my government is committed to responding,” Prime Minister Roger Cook told reporters on Sunday. he said.
“What these laws target today is behavior that crosses the line through violence, harassment or intimidation.”
The law, which aims to “increase public safety” by strengthening police powers, could also make it a crime to knowingly provide false and misleading information in a protest application.
“Police will have the power to reject protests that promote hatred against people on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or disability,” Mr Cook said.
The state government cited demonstrations by neo-Nazi groups as a reason for expanding its protest-rejection powers.
The changes also seek to extend WA’s ban on Nazi symbols to include symbols of organizations banned under federal law, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic State.
The government will also make it illegal to wear a face mask in public to intimidate or threaten others.
Mr Cook said despite the proposed legislation, freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest remained fundamental rights in Western Australia.
“What these laws target today is behavior that crosses the line, violence, harassment or intimidation,” he said.
But WA Greens MP Sophie McNeill said the proposed changes could impact fundamental democratic rights and stifle freedom of expression.
“The government says this law is aimed at Nazis, but if it is written too broadly it could be applied against any group at the request of the police,” he said.
The WA legislation follows the introduction of anti-protest and hate speech laws in other jurisdictions, including a ban on rallies in designated areas in NSW following the Bondi massacre that left 15 innocent people dead.
But police attempts to crack down on protesters at a rally against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney on Monday led to a series of violent clashes in which officers punched, pushed and pepper-sprayed activists.
NSW Premier Chris, who has consistently defended police crackdown, said on Sunday he would not comment further on the incidents while the police watchdog is investigating.
The Prime Minister was also unimpressed by the divergent stance of Anthony Albanese, who said police’s controversial obstruction of Muslim prayers at the rally warranted a full investigation.
