NSW premier, Chris Minns, recently said that policing pro-Palestine protests has cost the state $5m this year and the force should be able to shut them down because of the “huge drain on the public purse”. From this Minns has ordered a review of police resources used at the pro-Palestine protests taking place in the CBD each weekend for the past year. 

Critics have responded to his statement, saying that the premier was continuing to “disregard human rights and civil liberties”.

Last week, the NSW Council of Civil Liberties president, Lydia Shelly, said it was an “international embarrassment” that “lent itself to litigation”.

Shelly on Tuesday said charging people to stage protests would create a “two-tiered” system where only the wealthy could demonstrate.

“Singling out protests as a financial burden completely flies in the face of government obligations under human rights laws and protections for ordinary citizens,” she said.

“Just when you think that things couldn’t be worse in relation to a premier that seems to completely disregard human rights and civil liberties in this state, an idea like this pops up.”

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