Liberty Victoria is troubled by reports that NSW Police have used disproportionate and unjustified force to suppress protests in Sydney overnight. The images of police using violence against people who are engaging in a fundamental democratic right, including people engaging in prayer, are chilling.
The reports and scenes coming out of Sydney are a powerful illustration of the dangers of normalising state-imposed restrictions and use of force in response to protest.
In December, Premier Allan announced plans to introduce legislation to the Victorian Parliament mirroring NSW legislation, giving the Police Commissioner sweeping powers to shut down or move on protests in the aftermath of terrorism events. Victoria must abandon plans for further protest restrictions or expanded police powers, in the interests of public safety and fundamental rights.
Legal observers and attendees of the protest in Sydney against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit have reported that police engaged in excessive use of force, dangerous crowd control tactics, use of weapons like capsicum spray to disperse crowds, assault of bystanders and legal observers, denial of medical treatment for people arrested, and the violent interruption of Muslim people engaged in prayer.
What is lost in too much of the reporting is the very important reason that people have taken to the streets. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has found that Isaac Herzog incited genocide. The International Court of Justice is currently trying a case in which Israel is accused of genocide.
Australia is obliged by the Genocide Convention to take reasonable action to contribute toward preventing genocide. We must protect the right of Australian citizens to exercise their democratic rights to call for our Governments to do more in aid of their obligations under international law.
Instead, politicians are today seeking to place blame for the violence on protestors, who were exercising their fundamental rights to assembly and political expression.
Gemma Cafarella, President of Liberty Victoria said:
“The images and reports coming out of Sydney are chilling – police running at protestors and violently disrupting people engaged in prayer. These scenes have no place in a democracy. Our thoughts are with all those who have been injured and otherwise affected by these events.
“The head of state of a country that is on trial for committing genocide has been welcomed to Australia, and members of the community are entitled to express their disappointment with our leaders, and to call for Australia to uphold international law.
“These events must serve as a clear warning for Premier Allan: attempting to restrict protest, and handing police broad powers with reduced accountability, does not keep anyone safe. The laws that led to this situation in NSW must not be replicated in Victoria.
“We call on police and politicians across Australia to respect the right of our community to express their views through protest, and to do everything possible to ensure they can do so safely.”