Australian state bans public gatherings for 2 weeks after controversial laws adopted

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) banned public gatherings for two weeks after it passed a controversial anti-protest law under which people can be asked to remove their face coverings.

NSW Police said it has been empowered to temporarily declare public areas "restricted" from assemblies after the regional parliament passed new laws on Wednesday in the wake of the Dec. 14 mass shooting in Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales’ capital.

During the two-week period, no public assemblies can be authorized, and any public assembly will thereby be taken to be unauthorized, according to a Wednesday statement on the NSW Police website.

“The declaration was made … after considering the new legislation and public safety impacts of further protests in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack,” the statement added.

The declaration will be reviewed and may be extended every two weeks for up to three months. Police can also require people suspected of crimes to remove face coverings for identification, it said.

Separately, Australian authorities are investigating a case where a vehicle with a Hanukkah decoration was firebombed in southeast Melbourne southeast early on Thursday, Christmas Day, according to ABC News.

In the Bondi Beach shooting, which took place during a Hanukkah event, 15 people were killed and 42 others injured.

One of the two suspected shooters was killed, while the other was critically injured.

Under changes to the terrorist law passed by the NSW parliament, mass protests will be restricted, effectively banning protests for up to 90 days.

Moreover, under new gun legislation in the wake of the mass shooting, recreational license holders will be able to possess a maximum of four firearms, and owners will need to have their license reviewed every two years.

However, the NSW regional government is facing criticism over the new laws.

Palestine Action Group Sydney, The Blak Caucus, and Jews Against the Occupation '48 will be filing a constitutional legal challenge against the "draconian anti-protest laws," the Palestine group said on US social media platform Facebook on Tuesday.

"The (NSW Premier Chris) Minns government is exploiting the horrific Bondi attack to advance a political agenda that suppresses political dissent and criticism of Israel and curtails democratic freedoms," the group said.