Activist Legal News and Updates
All the latest updates from Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) as well as news for activists in Victoria, Australia, and around the world.
|
|
|
|
research report
New report analyses 20 years of anti-protest laws in Australia
| |
|
Protest in Peril, a new report published by the Human Rights Law Centre, identifies and analyses almost 50 laws that have been introduced in federal, state and territory parliaments over the past two decades that are impacting the right to protest across Australia.
As an influential actor in the protest rights space, MALS is profiled in the report including our observations on the factors driving the erosion of the right to freedom of assembly.
Several civil society groups including legal firms, human rights organisations, and activists have commented on the report, with Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute, issuing a call to action: 'Peaceful protest is essential for democracy, and we need to let governments know how important it is before they take away our ability to let them know.'
|
|
|
|
joint statement
Joint statement calls out Victoria Police restrictions on the right to protest
|
|
Drawing on a recent MALS Statement of Concern, a collective of community groups have published a joint statement expressing concern about police restrictions on their right to protest.
The group's have highlighted Victoria Police's recent attempts to arbitrarily restrict the use of a Public Address (PA) truck at the weekly Free Palestine rallies in the Naarm (Melbourne) CBD, despite the fact that the PA truck has been used at the rallies every weekend without incident for the past nine months.
The group's also raise concerns about Victoria Police's excessive and disproportionate response to the rallies, noting the heavy police presence, indiscriminate use of physical force and chemical weapons against protesters, and surveillance of protesters that are commonly seen at the community rallies.
|
|
|
|
university protests
UniMelb under investigation after using surveillance technology to identify student protesters
| |
|
The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner has confirmed it has launched an investigation into the University of Melbourne's use of surveillance technology to identify students involved in a pro-Palestine protest.
The state agency is investigating potential breaches of the Privacy and Data Protection Act after the university used Wi-Fi location tracking data and footage from surveillance technology to identify and launch disciplinary action against 21 students who participated in the multi-day sit-in at the university's Parkville campus in May.
The students received formal warnings after the university's response to the protest drew widespread criticism from legal experts and human rights organisations.
• 'Students have every right to protest how their tuition fees are allocated, and universities should respect and support these expressions of freedom of expression and assembly.'
-- Mohamed Duar, OPT spokesperson, Amnesty International Australia
• 'Students should not be punished for peacefully standing up for human rights... the rights to peaceful assembly and association are not only fundamental human rights but also pillars of academic freedom that must be respected.'
-- David Mejia-Canales, Senior Lawyer, Human Rights Law Centre
|
|
|
|
educational resources
The Power of Protest: visual story series
|
|
Amnesty International Australia has published a series of picture books highlighting how the power of protest helped people challenge injustice to protect human rights.
The series shares the stories of three powerful activists who exercised their right to protest to successfully speak truth to power and defend human rights:
• Justice for Aunty Tanya Day, Apryl Day
• The 78ers and the First Mardi Gras, Peter De Waal
• School Strike for Climate, Varsha Yajman
Learn more about Amnesty's #ProtectTheProtest campaign here.
|
|
|
|
mals membership
Get involved- become a member of MALS!
|
|
MALS defends civil and political rights by training activists, creating and sharing resources on the right to protest in Victoria, training and fielding Legal Observers to monitor and report on police actions, and linking activists with supportive law firms and community legal centres.
Becoming a MALS member means you can contribute to shaping our campaigns, participate in planning and decision-making, and help increase our impact as we protect the right to protest!
|
|
|
|
