Activist Groups to Challenge NSW Protest Laws on Right to Free Speech Grounds
Three Sydney protest groups—Palestine Action Group Sydney, Jews Against the Occupation 48, and the Blak Caucus—are set to mount a constitutional challenge against new NSW protest laws that would ban protests for up to three months.
The groups plan to sue as soon as the laws pass, arguing that the legislation infringes on an implied right to free speech and that they have standing to challenge the laws without a Form 1 permit.
The bill is currently before the NSW upper house and is expected to pass late Tuesday night.
Palestine Action Group convener Josh Lees stated the Minns government is attempting to strip away the right to peaceful protest for everyone through a ban of up to three months without any safety justification.
Lawyer Nick Hanna warned the law could effectively ban protests for any cause, prohibit processions, and permit police to relocate static protests in certain cases.
Activists also oppose the ban on the phrase "globalise the intifada," asserting that the term denotes support for Palestinian uprisings and could potentially become a chant if prohibited.
The legal challenge receives support from climate group Rising Tide, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, the NSW Greens, and Labor Friends of Palestine.
Peter Moss of Labor Friends of Palestine noted that most ALP members support Palestinian rights, contrasting with Premier Minns, and cited the August Sydney Harbour Bridge march as evidence of broad community support.
