Public criticism has been quick to come in response to this week’s NSW Police Commissioner announcement of an extension to a Public Assembly Restriction Declaration first issued Christmas Eve.
That’s when the state government granted power to the Police Force Commissioner to temporarily declare public areas ‘restricted’ from assemblies.
The decision was made after the Bondi Massacre in December, which was officially declared a terrorist incident.
The government says Tuesday’s extension of the PARD is consistent with the original declaration and immediately restricts public assemblies in the NSW South West Metropolitan, North West Metropolitan and Central Metropolitan policing areas for fourteen days.
Commissioner Mal Lanyon says the extension will ‘continue to enhance community safety and reduce community tension following the Bondi terror attack’.
‘The extension declaration recognises that further protest activity at this time is likely to heighten tension, generate division in the community and present a risk to community safety,’ Commissioner Lanyon says in the announcement.
The extension is to be reviewed ‘within the next fortnight’ and can be further extended fortnightly for up to three months.
Police granted authority to require face covering removal
Public assemblies can’t be authorised in areas under the ban and applications for the authorisation of public assemblies aren’t allowed to be accepted.
‘During this time, no public assemblies can be authorised under the Summary Offences Act 1988 and Form 1 applications for the authorisation of public assemblies will not be accepted,’ the announcement on Monday reads.
‘Individuals who participate in a public assembly during this time will not have the protection of the Summary Offences Act with respect to obstructing traffic,’ the announcement continues, ‘and pedestrians and may commit offences if they do’.
Any public assemblies previously authorised in the areas under the ban are deemed to be revoked.
Police are allowed to issue move on directions for people causing obstructions or behaving in an intimidatory or harassing manner, or people who might cause or be likely to cause fear in another person.
Officers also have authority to require removal of any face coverings worn by people suspected of committing offences, for identification purposes.
Critics describe ban extension as ‘undemocratic’
The Palestine Action Groups have issued a statement condemning the extension, describing it as undemocratic and saying they will file a constitutional challenge this week.
The New South Wales Council of Civil Liberties has also described the ban extension as the latest tranche of anti-democratic laws passed by the Minns Labor Government.
The council says they believe the ban on public assembly applications is a disgraceful misuse of power.
Council President Timothy Roberts says the Police Commissioner should never have been given the powers and has demonstrated he does not have the restraint to keep them.
Mr Roberts says the ban extension comes while significant portions of the community have demonstrated a desire to assemble in the wake of the USA attack on Venezuela and in the lead up to 26 January, which he calls Invasion Day.
The PAG says banning workers from protesting against cuts to workers compensation, for climate action ‘as we enter another fossil fuel-driven heatwave’, against Aboriginal deaths in custody, or Jewish and non-Jewish people ‘from marching together against the genocide in Gaza’ has nothing to do with public safety ‘or stopping ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks’.
‘All it does is allow bad governments to silence the people’s voices,’ the PAG statement reads.
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