It has become a wallowing cringe. The extolling of multi-culti values, the incessant self-praise of diversity, variety and cosmopolitanism, only to then impose, in the name of such values, a restrictive regime of speech, language and conduct seemed suitable to – who else? – the jerky authorities. In diversity we must oppress; in variety we must police. The Bondi Beach killings by two alleged ISIS supporters during a Hanukkah event have seen Australian lawmakers succumb to the panic of immediate results and shoddy gains.
It matters not how poor the legislation is, how ill-thought its words are: something must be seen to be done. Historical and cultural context, inconveniences for expedient legislators and magistrates, is also absent: ISIS has never bothered itself with the cause of Palestinian sovereignty, aspiring, instead, to the creation of a murderous caliphate.
The need to be seen to be doing something has manifested in a range of measures from tighter gun controls to the outlawing of protests and the intended prohibition of various words. Farmers are furious that they were not consulted regarding the first matter, reminding lawmakers that food security also requires vigilance against agricultural vermin. Activists, civil libertarian advocates and human rights groups are worried about the last two.
The NSW Premier Chris Minns has decided on a blanketing approach, seeing all protests associated with pro-Palestinian marches as part of a common, insidious condition. On December 17, he told gathered members of the press “that protest right now in Sydney would be incredibly terrible for our community. In fact, they would rip apart our community, particularly protests about international events.”
This shoddy reasoning was expanded in remarks made on December 23, showing a tenuous grasp, not only of international events but the currents of history. “How,” he wondered, “can it be that a protest can take place in the state and there’s a swastika tattooed on the Star of David on a poster in the middle of the city? Or photos of the Ayatollah, the leader of Iran … Shirts saying, ‘Death to the IDF’. A sign that says: ‘All Zionists are neo-Nazis’”.
If he dared consult the history books on such nasty practices as ethnic cleansing and genocide, both applied with frightening effectiveness by the homicidal machinery of Nazi Germany, this might supply a clue to some of that symbolism. A sad state for humanity’s standing is that eliminating and displacing races, tribes and national groups is common fare for empires and civilisations. It is normally axiomatic that settlement implies conquest and subjugation and elimination. But Minns is simple, bemoaning that protests with such “signs” must have a “bearing on either the culture, the temperature or even extreme actions within our community.” By taking to the streets with chants, placards and the décor of demonstrations, “the organisers of these protests are unleashing forces they can’t control.”
Minns, it would seem, is on a mission against the language and conduct of undesirable protest. He has already shown this in implementing anti-protest laws with a drunk’s enlivened enthusiasm. Under respective Coalition and Labor governments, the state has become known for laws that have targeted climate change activism and, increasingly since 2023, those associated with the Palestinian cause. He now seeks to give the NSW police commissioner powers to refuse applications for protests where a terrorism designation has been made under the Terrorism (Police Powers) Act 2002 (NSW).
The Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (NSW) grants police powers to impose public assembly restrictions via a “public assembly restriction declaration” within 14 days of a terrorist incident, prohibiting protests for up to three months. It also criminalises the display of “prohibited terrorist organisation symbols” without reasonable excuse.
Inevitably, the changes will imperil the welfare of the very people it seeks to protect while demonising those who genuinely seek change in policies through peaceful assembly. It also undermines the very thing Minns and his colleagues fetishise: societal harmony. Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Liberties, makes the self-evident point that, “Connecting the horrific events of the Bondi attack in any way with recent protests continues the harmful trend of conflating criticism of the actions of the government of Israel with antisemitism.” In so doing, the Premier was undermining “the community harmony […] he is worried about.”
The legislative actions also mark Jews out as either objects of exceptional charity, or useful alibis for policymakers seeking an ever more repressive state. “It places us Jews in the crosshairs,” reasons Michelle Berkon from Jews Against the Occupation. “These laws are not about protecting Jews … they’re not even about protecting Israel.” The notion of “Jewish safety” had been used to scapegoat “the millions of anti-racist Australians protesting genocide” while “using Jewish people as your human shields.”
The changes were passed by the Upper House in the early morning of Christmas Eve and are set to be approved by the Lower House without fuss. The fuss will come in the form of a constitutional challenge from the Palestine Action Group, Jews Against the Occupation and the First Nations-led Blak Caucus in the new year. The addition of the last group shows that cumbrous indiscriminate laws can have telling results. Representative Lizzie Jarrett summed up the sentiment: “It would really be a kick in the face to this conversation that the government keeps having with us about reconciliation, closing the gap, and putting the realities of First Nations people on the table.” Minns would do well to learn a thing or two about that particular history of settlement, one replete with ethnic cleansing, dispossession and genocide.
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Thank you, Binoy.
Chris Minns has been getting a free ride. Obviously, it depends on one’s newsfeed, mine was the ABC radio news channel when I first heard the news of the mass murder. Chris Minns was the second person to comment, he disgracefully instrumentalized the tragedy and conflated the murders with protest marches. He went quiet on this for a while but as Binoy pointed out went back to weaponizing the deaths to demonize protest marches.
Minns has been shockingly divisive.
We know governments don’t like protests, but Minns has been on a crusade to ban protests (somehow a Nazi protest got approval though) on the environment or against a genocide, ever since he splashed the Israeli flag all over the Sydney opera house – a flag of a nation that has oppressed, tortured, kidnapped and murdered a people, Palestinians, for 80 years.
Minns, possibly inadvertently, was erasing a history of Palestinian oppression when he did that. People protested rightly against putting the flag on the opera house. It was an incredibly divisive act. Minns has since then done all that he could to distract from his divisive act, including using the Nazi protest that the NSW police approved to try to shutdown protests against an Israeli genocide against Palestinians.
His failed first attempt to ban protests against Israel committing a genocide against Palestinians was unconstitutional. Here he is using the deaths of Jewish people to have another go at banning the protests.
Timothy Roberts got it spot on, including ‘In so doing, the Premier was undermining “the community harmony […] he is worried about.” ‘
Kellie Sloane eventually joined Minns in this weaponization of the massacre.
We don’t often agree, but in this case I support you whole heartedly, this is just a knee jerk reaction which will achieve nothing. Passing legislation will not stop how people think
The current actions both state and federal are creating more division than harmony, it seems our politicians , like the leopard, cannot change their spots, right or wrong., they just lumber on.
I see that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will visit Australia early in the new year. Let’s hope he is questioned closely and has some answers for us on the Palestinian situation which inevitably has resonance with the killings in Bondi.
Albanese was asked if he would extend an invitation to prime minister Netanyahu but batted the question away: our obligation to the International Criminal Court would require that we apprehend Netanyahu and hand him over to the Hague should he venture into this jurisdiction. Perhaps we would be doing humanity a favour!
Thank you Dr. Kampmark. With Minns, NSW got it terribly wrong. He’s always been anti-protest. Nazi protest seems to be the only group who he doesn’t want to fight against. He clearly wants to strip NSW Australians of their rights and the two ISIS inspired gunmen played right into his hands. People of Minns’ electorate, if you value justice, if you value your rights, don’t hesitate. Put him last on your ballot card. We must all do the same with Fascists in all other States. This has now become vital. It’s in our hands and if we don’t, then we only have ourselves to blame. It’s not like we can say we didn’t know.
The LNP and Zionist lobby are milking the Bondi bloodbath for every drop they can squeeze out of it. And the PM is caving in to them, eager to appease and placate. Tighten gun laws, sure, but to create more draconian legislation to suppress public protests and anti-Israel sentiment is just another step towards Fascism on behalf of Zionism. Zionism is not a religion, it is a political ideology based on racist delusions of exceptionalism and superiority: straight out of the Nazi playbook. We are being asked – force-fed by the LNP Opposition, by the ALP government, by corporate media outlets, by the duplicitous Zionist lobby and by Israel – a foreign fucking government FFS! – to “stand firm with” the Jewish community. I stand firm with all Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and those like me who hold to no religious delusion but denounce Israeli terrorism and genocide. Meanwhile 33 of the 113 people who died in police or prison custody in the last financial year were First Nations. Where is the PM’s “special envoy” for Aborigines? https://maximgrosky.substack.com/p/bondi-blues
Agree with you Jen. I am in Chris Minns electorate and will be encouraging others to put Minns last. His seat is not held by a strong margin. I just got his Christmas newsletter email today. It was too much to take. I unsubscribed from it, in protest, giving my reasons.
One wonders, as one does, if’n there’s some correlation between what’s happening in Palestine and what happened at Bondi. Nutters are.. as Nutters does… and another contempt is bred… and on and on it goes * sigh *
Anyhoo, “Io Saturnalia”
Chris Minns is just another political hack and lackey and further entrenches the view that none of the current crop of politicians from either side of the aisle are worth the money let alone their weight in salt!
If you struggle with that idiom here’s what it means “someone is “worth one’s salt,” it’s a statement that acknowledges that they are competent, deserving, and–to put it simply–worthwhile” which is far from the case where our current political state of affairs are concerned.
Given the complete failure of Albo’s numerous poor judgements over the past six months I doubt that Labour will be returned for another shot, time to metaphorically burn the House down, literally, that should have happened in May 2025 but no, the NIMBY crew won again.
So, Chris Minns you had better explain this, what exactly are the IDF doing here in Australia?
https://michaelwest.com.au/nsw-passes-protest-ban-premier-ducks-questions-on-armed-idf-on-sydney-streets/
“Death to the IDF” and “Zionists are neo-Nazis” are not anti-semitic, they are anti-Zionist and anti-genocide. Apparently, if I was to say that in NSW, it would be a crime.
White supremacist marches are OK. Pro-Palestinian marches are not. Action in support of billionaire mining companies is OK. Action to protect the environment is not. To hell with the whole bloody lot of them!
Time for Wayne Swann to have a chat with young Chris.
He is not upholding Labor values.
Like the US Australia has been infiltrated by traitorous paid Zionist Israeli goose stepping foot soldiers masquerading as patriotic Australian politicians who trash international laws and conventions while enabling war criminals.
Genocide is the ultimate hate crime as apartheid is the purest fotm of racism while terrorism is the most evil and heanous act of violent coercion perpetrated upon a people. Genocide, apartheid and terrorism are Zionist Israeli’s holy trinity.
What’s the surprise? Atlas Koch Heritage Prpject Esther……
In addition to the fossil fueled anti-EU, NATO, Ukraine & ICC Heritage, involves two of the three amigos Netanyahu and Trump keeping them away from the law, the other? Putin…..
In plain sight sight reporting May ’25, but begs the question as to why Oz RW MSM and independents miss so much offshore, but relevant locally?
‘Project Esther – Koch Network Heritage – White Christian Nationalism vs Palestine, The Enlightenment & Israel….
From the New York Times:
The Group Behind Project 2025 Has a Plan to Crush the Pro-Palestinian Movement
Even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation, best known for Project 2025, set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States….
…..‘But critics such as Mr. Jacoby say the think tank is exploiting real concerns about antisemitism to advance its broader agenda of radically reshaping higher education and crushing progressive movements more generally.
Project Esther exclusively focuses on antisemitism on the left, ignoring antisemitic harassment and violence from the right.’
A case in point.
The lead headline on the AGE front page today (26.12.25): –
“Majority of Australians support banning pro-Palestinian marches”.
The actual title of the article: –
“Australians want tougher visa screening, half in favour of royal commission after Bondi attack.”
The poll referenced in the article had the banning of marches at 53%, but it was 5th in a list of 7 issues; the majority of the respondents were saying that antisemitism needed to be more stringently tackled.
I wrote a letter of complaint and the lead headline has now been changed, but this is a clear example of a news outlet using inflammatory rhetoric to stir up its readers instead of simply reporting the story.
Today’s politicians variously have an ignorant, biased blush of history, as does much of the population. Certainly the mainstream media offers zilch, except an amplification of corporate-political BS, mostly for sensation (their money earner).
IMO, whether by brutality, violence or hearts-n-minds stuff, all the conflicts and biases through history have been manufactured and amplified for the purpose of power & money (incl land and property). And that includes the roots of religious dogma and its perpetuation.
It’s all based on acquisition of supremacy via coercion and reactive vengeance, that has for 200 or so years become industrialized.
Govts, Monarchs, religious and corporate heads invariably get it so wrong, as they set their frameworks primarily on their own profit interest, and secondarily on what they perceive are the most popular affiliations of the public (particularly the wealthy and influential).
Suppressing or banning peaceful protest is counter-productive, whereas it could be used to form councils through which objective mediation and consensus could be attained. Instead, it seems those most highly empowered want only to consult with and heed their own cliques extant.
It seems that in this way, the worldly powers have become increasingly febrile and conflict prone.