Australia’s three largest states are poised to introduce laws protecting places of worship from intimidatory protests as both levels of government scrambled to react to Friday’s terrorist attack on a Melbourne synagogue. Source: The Australian.
It comes as the Australian Federal Police launched an investigation into rampant anti-Semitism and confirmed it was investigating the fire at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne, as a terrorist attack.
It was followed by the alleged chanting of anti-Semitic slogans in Chullora, southwest Sydney, on Sunday by protesters celebrating the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, which New South Wales police are now investigating.
The Jewish community has welcomed possible law reform to protect places of worship but has demanded more action against anti-Semitism.
On protecting places of worship, NSW Premier Chris Minns was first out of the blocks, on Saturday instructing his Attorney-General to explore reform options.
“By and large, (NSW) has been hugely successful (in social harmony),” Mr Minns said on Monday.
“But from time to time, legislative changes (are needed) to make it clear that it’s not OK to intimidate or vilify someone on the basis of race or religion.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is also considering changes while Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the Crisafulli Government was looking at what NSW was doing “with great interest”.
Legal minds are conflicted on the appropriateness or effectiveness of any protest ban around places of worship.
Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman and barrister Greg Barns said protest activity was captured by existing laws outlawing violence, vilification and hate speech.
“The laws do cater for people who, for example, indulge in vilification, racial vilification, hate speech or violent acts,” he said.
“If you have a protest out the front of a building, that does not give you the right to throw a brick at the window or stop people entering or leaving the building.”
Mr Barns said placing an exclusion zone around places of worship would be “potentially problematic”, pointing to protests at Catholic churches in support of victims of child abuse. “To criminalise that … would seem to be certainly undemocratic,” he said.
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‘Protect synagogues, act on anti-Semitism’, leaders told (By Alexi Demetriadi and Rhiannon Down, The Australian)
