Renewed calls to list Hizb ut-Tahrir as terror organisation

The Opposition said the government should ‘urgently’ consider proscribing Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist group given the promotion of ‘extremely provocative’ protests on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

Prominent Hizb ut-Tahrir member Wassim Doureihi. There has been a renewed call to proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation.

The Albanese government should “urgently” consider proscribing Islamic fundamentalist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist group given its involvement in promoting “extremely provocative and grossly insensitive protests” on the anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks, the Coalition says.

The renewed call to proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation has been backed by the Zionist Federation of Australia and Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings, who said there had been sufficient international evidence that overseas versions of the organisation had “terrorist connections”.

Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings.

Mr Jennings said “given our current domestic situation, what the government should be doing is being seen to crack down hard on any groups with those sorts of sympathies”.

Hizb ut-Tahrir was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK this year, but the Albanese government has so far resisted calls to do so here.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told The Australian: “We take advice from our security and intelligence agencies about whether to list organisations, and we don’t speculate publicly about that process. 

“The government condemns the hateful comments by members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. There is no place in Australia for such disgraceful statements or the glorification of terrorism,” the spokesman said.

Deakin University Global Islamic Politics chair Greg Barton and Middle East analyst Rodger Shanahan cautioned that a terrorist listing may boost the organisation’s profile.

A Hizb ut-Tahrir front, Stand for Palestine, is scheduled to hold a rally for Palestine and Lebanon at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s southwest on Monday, the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. The group has also been linked to the University of Sydney’s Muslim students’ association, which extracted concessions from the university in exchange for ending the near two-month-long encampment protest earlier in the year.

The organisation has previously been heavily criticised for promoting extremism and celebrating Hamas’s October 7 attacks.

Both Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns have spoken out against the planned rally.

“I have no time (for) and condemn that organisation … (the rally) won’t be sanctioned,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“I believe very strongly that those planning any events on October 7 should recognise that that is not the time to engage in that activity.”

On Sunday, Mr Minns told Sky News he was “concerned” about the planned rally and warned that the “restrictive laws” of the state “will be enforced”.

“I think that there’s a prevalence or a sense amongst some in the community that racism directed towards members of the Jewish community is acceptable – it’s not, it’s covered by the law, and you’ll be prosecuted and arrested as a result,” he said.

On Saturday, Stand for Palestine said it was “laughable” that it was a front for Hizb ut-Tahrir, which also denied the claims on X.

But this is despite Hizb ut-Tahrir announcing on Facebook in October 2023 that it was establishing Stand for Palestine, inviting its about 10,000 followers to the new front’s “launch”, as well as the extremist group’s own events.

Hizb ut-Tahrir activist Mohammad Al-Wahwah. Picture: Instagram

Mr Jennings said organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir “seek to function in diaspora communities and they look for sort of places where they can operate in the margins of legal frameworks”.

“The business that we should be in, Australia, is just to cut those loopholes away and take a no-tolerance policy,” he said.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson urged the government to consider proscribing Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation.

“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an extremist organisation and is proscribed by some of our closest allies and like-minded partners including the United Kingdom,” he said. “Given their involvement in promoting extremely provocative and grossly insensitive protests on 7 October the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, should seek urgent advice from his department about whether they can be listed in Australia.”

More than 15,000 protesters hit the streets of Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday. More protests are expected on Monday.