NSW Premier Urges City of Sydney To Block “Globalise the Intifada” Forum

NSW Premier Chris Minns has urged the City of Sydney to block a planned forum titled “Why It’s Right to Say: Globalise the Intifada”, ahead of debate within council over the event and ongoing discussion about proposed hate speech reforms in New South Wales.

The event is scheduled for May 5 at the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre, a venue owned by the City of Sydney. Organised by activist group Stop the War on Palestine, the forum is expected to include speakers such as Cumberland councillor Ahmed Ouf, writer and lawyer Sara Saleh, and Progressive Party leader Ed Carroll.

The controversy follows the NSW government’s proposal to ban the phrase “globalise the intifada” in some contexts after the Bondi terror attack in December 2025. A NSW parliamentary inquiry recommended the phrase only be prohibited when used to incite hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence, rather than through a blanket ban.

Premier Minns said the City of Sydney should reconsider allowing the event to proceed. He described the slogan as “hateful, violent rhetoric” and linked it to concerns raised by members of the Jewish community.

However, Minns has also said the government is waiting to see the outcome of legal challenges to Queensland’s laws banning the phrase before introducing similar legislation in NSW.

At a City of Sydney council meeting, Liberal councillor Lyndon Gannon attempted to introduce a motion requesting an update from the NSW government on hate speech reforms and highlighting safety concerns connected to the event. The motion lapsed after it failed to receive a seconder from other councillors.

The debate takes place amid broader legal scrutiny of protest and speech restrictions in NSW. Earlier this month, the NSW Court of Appeal struck down anti-protest laws introduced after the Bondi attack, finding they impermissibly burdened the implied constitutional freedom of political communication.