Real human tragedy is being used to try and silence First Nations people, environmental activists and defenders of Palestine.
Freedom Socialist newspaper, Vol. 47, No. 2, April-May 2026
By Alison Thorne
An Islamic State-inspired antisemitic terrorist attack on a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach made global headlines in December 2025. In the days following, Australian people united in solidarity with the Jewish community.
But it didn’t take long for the tragedy to be politicised and the Palestine movement, which had absolutely no links to the shooting, to be bizarrely demonised. By Christmas Eve, the New South Wales (NSW) state government rammed through draconian legislation giving police the power to restrict public protests for up to 90 days after a terrorist incident. This, in effect, turned NSW into a police state.
When Canberra obliged the local Zionists by inviting Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, to visit, a showdown loomed. Police declared the visit a “Major Event,” giving themselves additional powers. With a genocidal war criminal in town, more than 20,000 turned out and refused to accept the ban on protest. Police provoked outrage when they kettled the massive crowd and unleashed an unprecedented wave of brutality. This is now being investigated by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
An alarming trend
NSW is not alone. Protest rights are increasingly under attack across the country. Until recently, the prime target of most restrictions was those defending the environment and advocating stronger action on climate change. Since the escalation of street protests in response to the unfolding genocide in Gaza, the latest wave of anti-democratic laws is aimed squarely at the Palestine movement.
In 2024, the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) documented the erosion of rights in its Protest in Peril report. Over two decades, state, territory and federal parliaments legislated 49 laws impinging on protest rights. NSW has the most anti-protest laws, while South Australia has the harshest fines.
In Queensland, the parliament is considering legislation which includes banning protest slogans, including “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada.” Those convicted of defying the ban could face up to two years in jail.
Late last year, the Victorian state government passed laws giving police a host of new powers to target protesters. Amongst them is the criminalisation of activists chaining themselves to machinery — a form of protest popular amongst environmentalists.
The police also gave themselves sweeping powers to search people without a warrant by declaring the central city a Designated Zone for six months. These powers most harshly impact First Nations and people of colour.
Not going to take it!
Each new assault on the right to dissent sparks resistance in the courts and on the streets.
The HRLC, representing Tarneen Onus Brown from Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, had a win ahead of this January’s massive Invasion Day rally. The court ruled that the extended Designated Zone was unlawful.
The validity of NSW anti-protest laws is also facing a challenge in the state’s Supreme Court. The case has been lodged by representatives of the Blak Caucus and Palestine Action Group.
Court cases are being backed by defiant street protests as the Palestine, First Nations and climate justice movements will not be silenced!
Freedom Socialist Party — Australia is part of the Defend Dissent Coalition. To get involved contact, freedom.socialist.party.australia@gmail.com