TheĀ AustralianĀ stateĀ of New South Wales is proposing to ban public displays of IslamicĀ StateĀ groupĀ flagsĀ orĀ extremistĀ symbolsĀ afterĀ aĀ massĀ shootingĀ driven by antisemitism killed 15 people at SydneyāsĀ BondiĀ Beach.
Under draftĀ lawsĀ to be debated by theĀ stateĀ Parliament, publiclyĀ displayingĀ the IS flag or symbols from otherĀ extremistĀ groups will be offenses punishable by up to two years in prison and fines.
The stateās premier, Chris Minns, also said chants of āglobalize the intifadaā will be banned and police would be given greater powers to demand protesters remove face coverings at demonstrations.
āHate speech or incitement of hatred has no place in our society,ā Minns said Saturday.
The Arabic word intifada is translated as āuprising.ā
While pro-Palestinian demonstrators say the slogan describes the worldwide protestsĀ against the conflict in Gaza, which has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, Jewish leaders say it inflames tensions and encourages attacks on Jews.
āHorrific, recent events have shown that the chant āglobalize the intifadaā is hate speech and encourages violence in our community,ā Minns told reporters. āYouāre running a very risky racket if youāre thinking of using that phrase.ā
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New South Wales politicians are expected to debate the reforms on MondayĀ afterĀ the premier recalled parliament.
Police said Sundayās attack, targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Australiaās most famous beach, was āa terrorist attackĀ inspired by (the) IslamicĀ StateĀ ā group. Police said they found two homemade ISĀ flagsĀ in the vehicle used by the two suspects.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hasĀ pledged to introduce measuresĀ to curb radicalization and hate, including broadening the definition of hate speech offenses for preachers and leaders who promote violence, and toughening punishments for such crimes.
The proposals would also designate some groups as hateful and allow judges to consider hate as an aggravating factor in cases of online threats and harassment.
Albanese has also announcedĀ plansĀ toĀ tighten Australiaās already strict gunĀ laws.
The prime minister, who joined the Jewish community at Sydneyās Great Synagogue on Friday, said āthe spirit of our JewishĀ AustralianĀ community is completely unbreakable.ā
āNo matter how dark things were, and continue to be, light will triumph,ā he added.
Authorities said the country will hold a National Day of Reflection on Sunday, the final day of Hanukkah, in honor of the victims.
FlagsĀ will be flown at half-mast from all official buildings, and Albanese will join others atĀ BondiĀ on Sunday to observe a minute of silence at 6:47 p.m., the time when police received the first reports of gunfire.
Police and community leaders have also pointed to the actions of Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Syrian-born man, who helped people flee the scene during the attack.
An Australian business listed a fundraiser on GoFundMe that has raised more than $2.5 millionĀ for Bondi hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who tackled one of the perpetrators to the ground.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
