APAN blasts Victorian protest bans as an attack on liberty
Hard-line activists will be banned from hiding their face under law reforms announced by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, a move that was criticised by one leading Palestinian group.
Victoria’s Labor government has introduced protest laws banning face masks, terrorist symbols and dangerous protest tactics almost two weeks after the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue in a likely terrorist attack.
In an attempt to “weed out and stamp out the influence of extreme and radical” behaviour at protests, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said more powers would be given to police to make arrests in a suite of law reforms.
Unmasking activists at protests was a key request from Victoria Police, who complained about the difficulty of holding perpetrators to account following the chaotic Land Forces protest.
Ms Allan said the government was sick of protests that caused division and was committed to stamping out anti-Semitism and radicalism.
“Victorians have witnessed extreme, dangerous and radical conduct in numerous public demonstrations over the past year, and it would be wrong for me to say that everyone who’s attending these protests is anti-Semitic,” Ms Allan said.
“We also know that hate and anti-Semitism are thriving in these environments.”
Protesters will no longer be able to glue themselves to roads or cars and will not be able to hide their identities behind face coverings such as masks or balaclavas.
Police will have the power to search, seize, remove, disassemble and destroy glue, rope, chains, locks and other attachment devices that protesters use to cause maximum disruption.
“We’re going to give police the powers to weed out and stamp out the influence of extreme and radical participation in public protests,” Ms Allan said.
“Face masks aren’t a free pass to break the law, and there should be no place to hide in this state if you’re a racist stirring up hate on the streets.”
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said face coverings emboldened protesters to threaten and intimidate Victorians.
“If you have the courage of your convictions and if you stand for something, you don’t get to hide behind a mask here in Victoria,” Mr Carbines said.
Although the announcement was welcomed by leading Jewish organisations, it was blasted by a leading Palestinian lobby group as a “dangerous attack on civil liberties” that aimed to “stoke division”.
The Australian Palestine Network Advocacy Network said the Premier’s comments suppressed the democratic rights of activists.
“The Victorian government’s announcement of measures to curtail and criminalise protest is a dangerous attack on civil liberties, aimed at suppressing legitimate public political action by Palestinians and their supporters demanding an end to Israel’s 15-month-long genocide in Gaza,” the APAN said in a statement.
“The Premier’s comments also stoke division and misrepresent the diversity of people, including members of the Jewish community, who stand in solidarity with Palestinians and demand an end to Israel’s genocide.”
The group’s president, Nasser Mashni, has been active in pro-Palestinian protests in Melbourne, including at the chaotic Land Forces protest in September.
On Sunday, he told protesters that police had advised them not to wear masks, and then claimed “Zionist agitators” were among them.
Peter Dutton said Jewish Australians had been treated poorly and the law reforms were overdue.
“I just can’t understand why it’s taken the Allan government so long to react to the reasonable requests, particularly of Jewish Australians, who have been treated in the most deplorable way,” the federal Opposition Leader said.
“Of course, it’s escalated and it was always going to and they were warned about this at the time.”
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