Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Australia’s Labor government has successfully passed a ‘hate speech’ bill that’s plainly aimed, at least in part, at suppressing pro-Palestine organizations as ‘hate groups.’ Free speech advocates are sounding the alarm about the new laws, saying their extremely vague wording, lack of procedural fairness and low thresholds for implementation mean groups can now be banned if they make people feel unsafe or upset without ever actually posing any physical harm to anyone. For me the most illuminating insight into what these laws are actually designed to do came up in an ABC interview with Attorney-General Michelle Rowland on Tuesday. … Rowland was asked by ABC’s David Speers to clarify whether the new laws could see activist groups banned for criticizing Israel and opposing its genocidal atrocities in a way that causes Jewish Australians to feel upset feelings, and she refused to rule out the possibility every single time.” (01/21/25)