Australia's NSW protest ban has been extended by 14 days, but the area covered will be drastically reduced. The extension is due to the recent Bondi attack and follows an original declaration made on Christmas Eve under new police powers.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said the decision was about getting the balance right between community safety and a right to protest. He stated that the revised declaration covers locations from Darling Harbour through the north of the CBD, Oxford Street, and takes in all eastern suburbs area commands. However, Hyde Park, a typical focus point for marches, is not included.
The protest planned by the First Nations community on Australia Day will be managed through College Street and out of southern Sydney. Lanyon expressed satisfaction that this arrangement reduces the risk to the community, while allowing tens of thousands of community members to gather in the CBD.
This decision comes amid controversy over Invasion Day marches and protests. The Greens have welcomed a backdown by NSW police on protest restrictions but argue that the extension is aimed at silencing pro-Palestine protesters and anyone opposing Israeli president Isaac Herzog's upcoming visit in early February.
The Australian government has also faced criticism for not acting sooner to address shark attacks and promoting more effective shark mitigation measures.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said the decision was about getting the balance right between community safety and a right to protest. He stated that the revised declaration covers locations from Darling Harbour through the north of the CBD, Oxford Street, and takes in all eastern suburbs area commands. However, Hyde Park, a typical focus point for marches, is not included.
The protest planned by the First Nations community on Australia Day will be managed through College Street and out of southern Sydney. Lanyon expressed satisfaction that this arrangement reduces the risk to the community, while allowing tens of thousands of community members to gather in the CBD.
This decision comes amid controversy over Invasion Day marches and protests. The Greens have welcomed a backdown by NSW police on protest restrictions but argue that the extension is aimed at silencing pro-Palestine protesters and anyone opposing Israeli president Isaac Herzog's upcoming visit in early February.
The Australian government has also faced criticism for not acting sooner to address shark attacks and promoting more effective shark mitigation measures.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this protest ban extension 
. I mean, I get it, community safety is a big deal, but can't they just find another way to manage the protests without totally restricting them? 
It's like, they're basically saying 'you can protest, just not in these areas'... what even is that? 
. I know it's a big deal, but shouldn't we be supporting our Indigenous brothers and sisters instead of restricting their rights to express themselves? 
It's like, totally unacceptable that Australia still hasn't taken better measures to prevent these attacks... come on, gov! 
#JusticeForAustralianSharkAttackVictims #ProtestRightsMatter #GetItTogetherGov
. and let's be real, the Aussie government has been doing a terrible job at addressing shark attacks... they need to focus on that instead of trying to control what people are saying 
, i mean it's about getting the balance right between safety and freedom of speech... yeah right 
. they're just trying to limit our rights again, but at least this time they're being kinda transparent about it. still, excluding Hyde Park is pretty shady - like, what even is that? a loophole or something? 
.
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