Greens MPs & Activists Call On Minns Government to Protect The Right to Protest
Image: Images: James Bale / City Hub.
On Thursday morning, members of State parliament, leaders of activist groups, and spokespeople from civil society organisations met on State Parliament’s Rooftop Garden, above where a meeting of the legislative council was being held. Together, they made a plea to NSW Premier Chris Minns and the Labor government to protect the right to protest.
This event occurred exactly 2 weeks after the government supported the NSW Police’s recent legal attempt to stop pro-Palestine protests on October 7.
Anti Protest Laws in NSW
The most major anti-protest laws came through in April 2022, which outlawed protests that blocked major roads and tunnels, with punishments including 2 years in jail and $22,000 in fines. These laws included everyone from student protesters, and anti-war protesters.
Just a bit over two weeks ago, the NSW police called for a ban on protests for October 7 in response to two people being charged for sporting flags that depicted the terrorist organisation Hezbollah.
This ban was backed by Minns, as well as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton.
The Greens push for change
At today’s gathering, Greens member in the legislative council Sue Higginson promoted the Green’s proposal to alter the anti-protest laws to protect non-violent protesters.
“They are the foundations of a healthy and functioning democracy” Higginson said.
“They are the centre of so many things in our democracy that we take for granted, our freedoms, our civil rights, our environmental protections…these things have been hard-earned and hard fought for through peaceful protest and non-violent civil disobedience”.
A big aspect of this repeal is to ensure that peaceful protestors have immunity from prosecution and being sentenced, even if they have committed an offence.
Greens MP Kobi Shetty has reassured protesters and the media that they stand alongside them and will assist them in protesting freely.
“We know that New South Wales has the most anti-protest laws in the country and that is simply not good enough” Shetty stated. “Democracy is not just about the right to vote; it is about people being able to tell the government that they do not agree with their legislation.”
Critiques of the repeal
Higginson responded vaguely when asked about whether the proposed changes will condone criminal offences and hate speech.
“When laws are broken, it is the job of the police to enforce those laws and nobody here disagrees with that”, she explained.
“When laws are broken then those who break the law deserve to be treated fairly…people who do it [break the law] want to resist unfair laws, then those people clearly don’t have criminal intent”.
Lydia Shetty says media too compliant with government’s decisions
When a reporter asked about the amount of taxpayer money that the pro-Palestine protests were costing each month, Lydia Shetty of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties cut in front of Higginson to make a statement about the media, saying that they are too compliant with government decision making.
“I haven’t heard anyone from the media question how much it costs to lock up black children under the bail laws,” said Shetty.
She also made the claim that the government cannot limit democracy on financial implications.
“We need to look at the full picture. There is so much at stake in the last few years in this country when it comes to civil liberties”.
She went continued to hit back at the media, stating that their reportage that identifies people being charged is an indicator that these anti-protest laws are functioning and damaging.
“No one ever looks at what happens to these cases when they get to court. How many proceed to a conviction, how many are actually overturned. Media, please do your job.”
Will the NSW Government enshrine the right to protest?
Spokesperson from Maritime Unions Australia Paul Keating, made the claim that the Labor party’s values do not align with the values of the community it represents.
“This is the most anti-democratic law in the Western world,” he said. “It is about the political establishment maintaining their power and etching further and further to an authoritarian, right-wing political agenda.”
When asked about what the NSW Premier needs to do, Higginson alluded to unrest amongst the Labor party.
“He is going to have to start to listen to the people on the streets and the people on his backbenches and the people in his party and all the people across his community”.
Higginson aspires to see “the right to protest enshrined in a system of rights in NSW”.
More detail to come.
