Pro-Palestine group files legal challenge against Australia state’s anti-protest laws News
Byron Wu, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pro-Palestine group files legal challenge against Australia state’s anti-protest laws

A pro-Palestine activist organization filed a legal challenge on Monday against the New South Wales Labor government’s passing of controversial laws permitting police to restrict protest near places of worship.

The Sydney-based Palestine Action Group announced in a media release that it is filing a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court of New South Wales against the NSW Government led by Premier Chris Minns for its “recent draconian anti-protest laws. ” The challenge targets the “expanded powers given to police to issue move-on orders for protests near places of worship.”

In their statement, Palestine Action Group emphasized NSW Premier Chris Minns brought several anti-protest laws following an incident the NSW Police deemed an “elaborate scheme,” where a caravan was found in the NSW suburb of Dural laden with explosives and antisemitic material. The statement pointed to the NSW Police’s confirmation that the caravan was part of a terrorist scheme. Additionally, the statement highlighted Minns’ “support for Israel and his Government’s opposition to protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people,” condemning the passing of “unconstitutional laws” that are “based on lies” eroding democratic rights.

The Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025 seeks to criminalize activities outside places of worship, expand police powers, and impose a harsher maximum penalty of up to two years imprisonment.
Introduced on February 11 to combat rising antisemitism, it has since passed in both the Legislative Assembly (Lower House) and Legislative Council (Upper House). Following its passing in both Houses of Parliament on February 21, it received the Governor’s assent on March 2, with its commencement set for June 2, 2025.

Earlier this year, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced his intention to strengthen Australia’s hate speech laws following a rise in antisemitic attacks across the country. The Australian government has taken similar measures in recent months, enacting the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2024, targeting extreme hate speech. The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025 and the Crimes Amendment (Inciting Racial Hatred) Bill 2025 also passed in both houses in February, receiving the Governor’s assent on the same day as the Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill.

Palestine Action Group states, “The laws threaten the rights not just of Palestine protesters, but of everyone, which is reflected in the very broad opposition that is mounting to these laws from a large range of civil society, activist and trade union organizations.” Organizations have joined to support the challenge launched by the Supreme Court.

Before its passing, the Human Rights Law Centre of Australia expressed concerns, noting, that the newly introduced laws breach the right to peaceful assembly, as they grant broad police powers, which can violate the right to worship free of interference and the right to be protected from racial or religious hatred.

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