The NSW premier has rejected suggestions he is stoking division among Middle Eastern communities and denied wanting to charge protesters for police at pro-Palestinian rallies. or signup to continue reading Chris Minns has faced accusations of "dog-whistling" and "anti-Palestinian racism" after floating law tweaks to strengthen the hand of NSW Police to halt street marches. The legal change was mooted based on policing costs, and followed a heavy law-enforcement presence at Sunday's 52nd consecutive weekly pro-Palestine protest in Sydney.
A senior adviser to Australia's Muslim faith leaders labelled the premier's language around the pro-Palestine rallies as divisive, but Mr Minns rejected that claim on Wednesday. "In the circumstances, I've been completely consultative - my door has always been open," the premier said. He would not always agree with faith and community leaders, Mr Minns added, again citing an anti-Israel march on the Opera House steps in 2023 as reason to remain vigilant on community safety.
His suggestion that police should be allowed to deny demonstration permits due to stretched resources has drawn ire from several quarters. Any move to add a financial hurdle would undermine the very freedom to protest, Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey warned. "Democracy should not be monetised," he said.
"We might not like every protest but we should uphold the right to conduct them in a safe and co-ordinated fashion." The overwhelming majority of protests over the past yea.
