November 12, 2025
The Jewish Council of Australia welcomes the decision of the Victorian Government to step back from the harshest versions of its proposed anti-protest laws, including a ban on face coverings at protests.
This is a partial victory for civil society, and for the more than 1,000 Australian Jews who signed our petition calling on the government to drop these anti-democratic measures.
However, we remain deeply concerned about the expansion of police powers under the new laws, which will allow police to order protesters to remove face coverings, impose fines, and criminalise the use of “attachment devices” like ropes or glue. These powers risk being used against peaceful protesters exercising their democratic rights.
We stand in the proud tradition of Jewish progressive activists in Victoria, among them Zelda D’Aprano, who might herself have faced criminal sanction under these new laws.
Recent protests have already shown the dangers of giving Victoria Police greater powers — police officers have repeatedly used dangerous crowd-control weapons and violence against demonstrators. Expanding these powers in law will only increase the likelihood of police violence and abuse.
Bart Shteinman, Executive Member, Jewish Council of Australia:
“These laws are apparently being introduced in the name of protecting the Jewish community after antisemitic incidents and attacks on synagogues. But as Australian Jews, we reject the idea that our safety depends on giving police more powers to suppress dissent. Our safety is not protected by silencing peaceful protest or making Jews the scapegoat when politicians erode our democracy.”
Ohad Kozminsky, Executive Member, Jewish Council of Australia:
“This expansion of police powers has been justified by the conflation of antisemitism with peaceful protest, but there is no connection between the vile attacks on synagogues and the regular democratic rallies in support of Palestine. Jacinta Allan’s repeated conflation of these separate issues invites the public to conclude that Jewish safety requires the curtailment of democracy, further stoking antisemitism.”
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