Human rights groups have urged the Victorian government to resist political pressure to adopt the New South Wales government’s protest permit system in response to several antisemitic attacks on the weekend.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has announced an “anti-hate taskforce” after Friday’s arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, the targeting of an Israeli restaurant, the alleged vandalism of a company linked to Israeli-weapons and isolated but violent chants at a demonstration on Sunday.
The taskforce, which will meet for the first time later this week, will allow senior ministers and law enforcement officials to consider how to further “increase police powers to stamp out extreme and violent protest”.
According to the premier, these powers would be in addition to the sweeping changes proposed by the state government in response to an arson attack on the ultra-orthodox Adass synagogue in Melbourne late last year. These include a ban on protests outside places of worship and a ban on face masks and balaclavas.
“We are currently drafting legislation to give police even more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour at protests,” Allan said. “Part of the work of the taskforce will be to hear from Victoria police and others about what more we can consider.”
On Sunday, the leaders of a pro-Palestinian protest rally in Melbourne’s CBD condemned the violent attack on the synagogue.
Some protesters were later heard chanting “death, death to the IDF”. The same chant was allegedly used by those targeting the Israeli restaurant Miznon on Friday night.
“The behaviour we saw yesterday was particularly odious, hateful behaviour,” said Allan, who pledged to “stamp out extremist behaviour at protests. It came what felt like only moments after the attack on a synagogue.”
Jeremy Leibler, the president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, supported the Allan government’s position and said more police powers may be warranted.
“If these protests continue to escalate, [the government] will be left with no choice but to introduce a more robust permit regime, like that in New South Wales that ensures freedom of expression doesn’t come at the expense of community safety and cohesion,” Leibler said.
“This isn’t just about Victoria versus NSW. It’s about whether we allow extremists to dictate who feels safe in a liberal democracy.”
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s president, Daniel Aghion, has also called for the permit system in response to recent antisemitic attacks.
In NSW, those granted a permit to protest after submitting an application to police are protected from being charged under the state’s anti-protest laws or police move on powers. Since 2022, those protesting without a permit risk two years’ imprisonment or a $22,000 fine if police issue a move-on order and protestors do not comply.
Laws introduced this year also gave police new powers to issue move-on orders if a protest is taking place near a place of worship.
Late last month Hannah Thomas, a former Greens candidate, was hospitalised after being arrested by police and faces losing vision in one eye. She claimed the new laws had “emboldened” the police in interactions with protesters.
The Human Rights Law Centre urged the Victorian government not to adopt the NSW permit system, which it has described as “draconian”, “anti-democratic” and “repressive”.
“Misguided police powers and repressive laws against peaceful protesters do not keep communities safe from hate crimes and racism,” said the centre’s legal director, Sarah Schwartz. “Instead, they divide communities and create a dangerous and repressive environment for those raising their voices through peaceful assembly.”
The president of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties, Timothy Roberts, said the potential for police to be granted further powers was “deeply concerning”.
“The lesson from NSW that should be learned from is they have overreached, with devastating consequences in the overreach of police powers,” he said.
When asked whether protest permits were necessary in Victoria, the shadow minister for police, David Southwick, said “nothing should be taken off the table”.
It is not known what further police powers the taskforce will consider. In a press conference on Monday, Allan did not reference protest permits but said her government would “take any action necessary”.
In October last year, Allan said the then chief commissioner of Victoria police Shane Patton had “made pretty clear on previous occasions that he doesn’t see there’s a need for the permit system”.
“In my mind that runs the risk of being a very lengthy, unwieldy, time-consuming process for both the police force and the court system and it does not give a guarantee that each and every event would be undertaken peacefully,” Allan said.
