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Palestine solidarity and civil rights campaigners rallied outside the New South Wales Supreme Court on June 19 to support the Palestine Action Group’s Supreme Court challenge to the Chris Minns NSW Labor government’s anti-protest laws. 

Minns rushed through a new round of anti-protest laws in February, under the pretence of an “antisemitic” terror plot, despite NSW Police saying at the time that they thought it was a hoax.

Josh Lees from the Palestine Action Group said the laws the group is challenging allow police new powers to crack down on protests that take place “near” “places of worship”, such as churches, synagogues and mosques. 

NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson said she had asked police in a parliamentary hearing if they needed extra powers to protect parishioners and “they just looked at each other”.

“None of the police asked for these powers … they are an absolute stretch too far.

“It’s time that Chris Minns and the NSW Labor government stands with the people to protect our democracy, not erode it.”

President of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties Timothy Roberts and lawyer Peter O’Brien said the new laws were "overreach" and needed to be retracted.

“[These laws] are unconstitutional and undermine the right to freedom of association,” O’Brien said. 

“This government should be disgraced by its attacks on our democracy,” Roberts said. “We call on the Minns government to show up to the inquiry, we call on the police minister to show up and answer questions about what is going on.

“They have taken a torch to our democracy and they need to answer questions about what has happened.” 

Zach Schofield said Rising Tide successfully challenged the NSW government’s restrictions on water activities at the anti-coal protest in Muloobinba/Newcastle last November in the NSW Supreme Court, and that all anti-protest laws needed to be repealed.

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From left to right: Peter O'Brien, Josh Lees, Sue Higginson, Timothy Roberts. Photo: Pip Hinman