DEMONSTRATIONS – AUSTRALIA

October 7 rally organisers to push ahead with grotesque gathering

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Original article by Jade Gailberger, Carly Douglas, Mitch Clarke, Clare Armstrong
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 3-Oct-24

The organisers of a pro-Palestine rally to be held in Melbourne on Monday have refused to back down and reschedule the event. Victoria Police have warned that they lack the power to stop the rally from proceeding on the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, given that the state has no permit system for protests. NSW police are continuing to seek a court order preventing similar rallies being staged in Sydney on the same day. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it is not an appropriate date to hold a rally in support of Palestine, while Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the government should do it all can at both state and federal level to stop the rallies from going ahead.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA POLICE

Hezbollah supporters could evade penalty

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Oct-24

Anti-hate symbols legislation that took effect in January make it an offence punishable by up to 12 months in jail to display symbols associated with a banned terror group such as Hezbollah. However, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wanting to know why no one had been arrested for carrying the Hezbollah flag at pro-Palestine protests on the weekend, the Australian Federal Police has indicated in a statement that the "mere public display of a prohibited symbol on its own does not meet the threshold of a Commonwealth offence". Deakin University counterterrorism expert Greg Barton said the display of the Hezbollah flag at the protests was the first major test for the laws, while Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni claimed the fixation on a few flags at the protests was a convenient distraction from Israel’s "massacre" in Gaza and Lebanon.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

ABC fields on protest coverage

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Original article by James Dowling
The Australian – Page: 2 : 1-Oct-24

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has lodged a complaint against the ABC over its coverage of Lebanon and Gaza solidarity protests in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday. Its complaint related to multiple live crosses from the Sydney protest and an evening package covering the Melbourne rally, with the package of the Melbourne rally criticised for not telling viewers that Hezbollah is a registered terrorist organisation, or for mentioning the display of Hezbollah flags at the rally. In its response to criticism of the package covering the Melbourne rally, the ABC noted it was the third of three stories on the events in Lebanon commissioned for 7pm news bulletins, and that the earlier stories had provided full context on the conflict.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN JEWRY

CFMEU vows to destroy the ALP

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Mohammad Alfares
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 28-Aug-24

More than 60,000 construction workers downed tools on Tuesday to join capital city protests against the federal government’s move to appoint administrators to the CFMEU’s construction divisions. Sacked CFMEU state leaders said they will campaign for the "absolute destruction" of Labor, urging union members to vote against the party at the next federal election and the state polls in Queensland and NSW. Former Queensland state secretary Michael Ravbar intends to pursue a High Court challenge against the administration, while former national secretary Christy Cain has urged Maritime Union of Australia members to join the next rally in solidarity with the CFMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Palestine chant may incite violence

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 8-May-24

Former ASIO director-general Dennis Richardson contends that ‘from the river to the sea’ is a "very violent statement" and its use by pro-Palestine demonstrators could prompt violence against communities in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed similar sentiments about the now widely-used chant, and he has stated that it has "no place on Australia’s streets". Richardson and Albanese have discussed the issue in a documentary hosted by former treasurer Josh Frydenberg that will be broadcast by Sky News later in May. Meanwhile, Frydenberg has called for action to remove pro-Palestine encampments at some of the nation’s major universities.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Gaza protests: business braces for more pain

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Apr-24

Pro-Palestine protestors sought to block "the arteries of capitalism" in a number of Australian cities on Monday, with ports, train stations and CBDs among their targets. Victorian police stated that 14 protestors were arrested in Melbourne, including 12 near the Boeing factory in Port Melbourne, where a road was blocked. Another two were arrested for tampering with traffic lights in Carlton, with Victorian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Paul Guerra saying blocking roads and interfering with traffic lights is "dangerous, insensitive and disrespectful". Victorian’s Opposition leader John Pesutto says people have a right to protest, but in a peaceful way, and that the protestors on Monday were giving democracy a bad name.

CORPORATES
VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA

Now for second wave – of protests

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Original article by Simon Benson, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 12-Jun-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says people who choose to attend upcoming protest rallies should be charged with breaching social distancing rules. Refugee activists have indicated that they still hope to stage a rally planned for Sydney on 13 June, even though the New South Wales Supreme Court has ruled that it cannot proceed. Black Lives Matters rallies have also been organised in Sydney, Darwin and Perth over the coming weekend. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has cautioned people against attending rallies after a man who attended the BLM rally in Melbourne tested positive to the virus.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN HEALTH PROTECTION PRINCIPAL COMMITTEE

Protests cost economy $1bn

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Dennis Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Jun-20

The timetable for the further easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions may be pushed back due to the recent Black Lives Matter protests across Australia. The national cabinet meeting on 12 June had been expected to approve the easing of stage two restrictions, but the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee believes that it will take up to 14 days to determine whether the protests have caused a fresh outbreak of the virus. Meanwhile, ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the potential for a second wave of infections means that lockdown restrictions must remain in place until medical professionals advise that it is safe to lift them.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH PROTECTION PRINCIPAL COMMITTEE, ACTU

No time for protests alert as jail rates surge

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Original article by Richard Ferguson, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 6 : 5-Jun-20

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has urged people to stay away from Black Lives Matter protests planned for Melbourne on 6 June. Black Lives Matter protests have already been staged in Sydney and Perth, and thousands are tipped to attend the Melbourne protest. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for people not to "import" racial tension from the US, but indigenous leader and acad­emic Marcia Langton says protests need to occur while indig­enous Australians remain in jail in such high numbers and they continue to die in custody. Langton says indig­enous Australians are the most incarcerated people in the world.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Workers warned over approval to protest

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 5-Apr-19

ACTU secretary Sally McManus claims that nationwide rallies to be held on 10 April are political protests rather than industrial action. The ACTU hopes the anti-Coalition rallies will attract 250,000 workers. Meanwhile, the Australian Building & Construction Commission has warned that building industry workers risk fines if they take time off work to attend the rallies without written permission from their employer.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, ONESTEEL LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA