Hate Speech or Protected Speech? Bondi Changed the Rules.
Why New South Wales Is Right to Draw a Line on Incitement and Terror Symbols
Australia suffered a national trauma on December 15 when a father and son terrorist duo attacked a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead and dozens wounded. It is a shame it took a slaughter to catalyze action. But this week the Premier and the Attorney General of New South Wales finally did what responsible government is supposed to do: confront the relationship between public incitement, public intimidation, and public violence.
What NSW is proposing
Premier Chris Minns says the government will move immediately on three fronts: outlawing terrorist symbols, targeting specific inciting chants as hate speech, and expanding police powers around face coverings at demonstrations. “They are not about suppressing views,” Minns said at a press conference, “they are about preventing intimidation, escalation and violence.”
On terrorist flags and symbols, Minns was explicit about what the legislation is designed to do: “On Monday we will introduce a series of measures that i…
