Sydney police plan to use ‘extraordinary’ powers to search pro-Palestinian protesters and demand ID

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to World News@lemmy.world – 180 points –
Sydney police plan to use ‘extraordinary’ powers to search pro-Palestinian protesters and demand ID
theguardian.com
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Maybe I'm crazy, but this conflict is shining the biggest floodlight on all the fascism around the world. I hope enough people have the wherewithal to notice.

Due process isn't really a thing in most places. Commonwealth nations, especially, seem to grant "extraordinary powers" to their police forces.

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“Racism” and “acts of violence” are awfully vague and hardly justification for warrantless searches, imo.

I just came back from holiday in Australia. First time there.

It was a bit surprising how "anti-immigrant" they are. And it's front and center.

The general conversation when meeting someone would go along the lines of "where are you from? What brings you here? Oh! California, so beautiful! How's your immigrant problem coming along?"

This happened with sooo many people, it was shocking. And most of them were dumbfoundedat our reply along the lines of "don't believe the news. We've lived 30 minutes from the border for decades. Immigrants, illegal or not, aren't really a problem. Most work hard to try to make a better life for their families, just like anyone else"

Australia also recently (I think) enacted a zero tolerance policy for immigrants. One infraction, and you're deported. Or work visa revoked. Something like that.

This is likely going to be abused on these protestors, peaceful or not.

I recall an Aussie on here claiming Australia was one of the least racist countries on the planet a few months back. Had a good laugh at that one

It's funny because I heard the same claim from a Canadian, and my response would be the same to both those countries citizens. "So tell me about your countries native populations"

Hard to be racist if a visa costs your life savings and a kidney so there's barely any immigrants anyways... Oh and 0 tolerance for people coming illegaly on boats

It's not just anti immigration. We're having a referendum on giving aboriginal people a voice to parliament. The NO side has been pretty divisive and sometimes outright racist. The NO side is ahead by a large margin.

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Yeah, especially considering how racist Aussies are to their indigenous peoples.

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Oh look another “enlightened” nation walking back on the right to free speech and protest when it doesn’t suit their agenda/political goals.

Honestly, what the fuck? Might as well be living under Russian or Chinese regimes at this point.

It certainly puts a chilling effect on the right to protest when police interrogate individuals on site, demanding papers. It is certainly plausible that these names collected would be used for future persecution by the authorities.

Wtf. Because of what some brown people are doing thousands of miles away, brown people in Australia are going to have to deal with this shit?;

Actually I think it translates in: because of what brown people are doing thousands of miles away, brown people in Australia - which support and simpatise - are going to have to deal with this shit.

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The premier, Chris Minns, has backed the police using the powers, saying they were justified given a pro-Palestine rally held on Monday “descended into racism” and “acts of violence” on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

The NSW police acting commissioner, David Hudson, said he believed the threshold for using the powers introduced after the 2005 Cronulla riots had been met and he would seek to have them enabled before the rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park.

Addressing the media in a snap press conference on Friday afternoon, the premier said there was a right to protest in NSW but he was concerned the event on Sunday was being organised by the same group behind Monday’s march.

“What we have seen in the past week in NSW is a draconian attack on our right to demonstrate in solidarity with the people of Palestine, who are currently facing a genocide in Gaza,” Naser said on Friday.

Stephen Blanks, who is from the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, will act as the organising group’s legal adviser if it mounts a supreme court challenge against the police powers.

The operation head, assistant commissioner Mal Lanyon, said police were working to identify people who may have broken the law at Monday night’s protest.


The original article contains 845 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 75%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

I don't see anyone say here that under normal circumstances you have to identify yourself to police upon their request. I'm fairly certain this is true for all Australian states. It certainly is here in Queensland.

I'm not sure how this is supposed to work? Anti-semites are taking advantage of such protests but as far as I know there's no anti-semitism ID card???

Anti-zionist != anti-semite

They didn't say anything of the sort. The context provided elsewhere in this post is that some people were chanting "gas the Jews". Anti-Semites are taking advantage of protests. That doesn't mean protesters are anti-Semites.