Right now, Protest is under attack in NSW.
The right for people to come together to protest, demand justice action, express grief and hold governments and law makers to account is an essential cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
So many of our important civil rights and freedoms, the things we love about our way of life and the protection of our environment have been fought and won through protest and non-violent civil disobedience.
It is hard to believe, but at this very moment here in NSW, our rights and ability to protest are under sustained and escalating attack from the NSW Labor Government.
Reports have laid bare the dire state of protest in this state. In the last 20 years alone, NSW has enacted the most anti-protest laws in the country. In 2022 we saw extreme measures introduced targeting climate protestors, for blocking roads, tunnels or major ports as they sounded alarm bells about the dire consequences of climate change in the face of reckless inaction.
We thought when Labor was elected, after 12 years of Coalition Government, we might see a change. But seriously instead of unravelling the anti protest laws, Premier Chris Minns has just thrown his public support behind the Police Executive’s attempt to shut down our peaceful pro-Palestine anti-war rallies, taking organisers to the Supreme Court!
That didn’t work, because as a movement we are unstoppable.
But, in an outrageous move that followed, the Premier indicated that he is considering introducing laws to allow police to withhold authorisations for rallies on the basis of costs and introducing a user pays police system for mass rallies!
Imagine a democracy where only the rich can afford an authorisation to protest - as if! Look, it is important to remember no one can stop the people from protesting - but authorisations and police cooperation to control traffic can be helpful for mass rallies.
The Premier has ordered a review into the costs of policing our pro-Palestine rallies, at the same time, ramping up riot-squads and mounted police at peaceful vigils where families are grieving loved ones.
All of this emboldens police when they are dealing with protestors and courageous people who engage in nonviolent civil disobedience.
Civil society organisations, grassroots movements and everyday people are fighting back against this intolerance, unfairness and the dangers to our democracy.
Climate strikers, forest defenders, anti-war mass rally organisers and knitting nana’s who defend the land, skies and waterways for their grandchildren, protestors everywhere are in peril from NSW Labor.
That’s why the Greens, Unions, civil society organisations, conservationists and grassroots organisers who have been consistently targeted, silenced and cast aside have come together to demand that enough is enough.
We know that there is growing dissent from Minns’ slippery slope towards authoritarian disaster and right now, we have the opportunity to wield our collective power and make sure we protect protest for generations to come.
It won’t be easy, but neither was the fight for land back, women’s rights, marriage equality, workers rights and environmental protections. We must continue to walk together in the well tread footsteps of those before who secured the future for us today.
Today it is our turn to use protest to change the landscape of NSW forever. As history teaches us: the best way to protect protest is by protesting.