“Mr Rolles was arrested in late June, when he was pulled off the street in Sydney for allegedly blocking roads and obstructing traffic.”
Since late June, Greg Rolles must produce on demand his computer and mobile phone for police inspection, and tell them his passwords.
He is not allowed to use any encrypted messaging apps, like Signal or WhatsApp. He can only have one mobile phone. […]
These are the strict technology-related bail conditions imposed on some Blockade Australia climate protesters — a development legal experts have criticised as “unusual” and “extreme”. […]
Defence lawyer Mark Davis, who is representing some of the Blockade Australia activists, said the vagueness of the prohibition was concerning.
“It used to name the things you couldn’t have, and then they made it all encrypted communication,” he said.
“It could be you’re on your PlayStation.”
He also takes issue with the non-association rules, and the lack of specificity about what an “association” might be. Mr Davis said one of his clients had been pulled in by police after they reacted with a “thumbs up” emoji to Facebook comments […]
All this because they didnt get a permission slip signed for a protest and blocking a road. These people arent violent felons, terrorists are pedophiles. The usual targets for this kind of gross overreach, which has at least some kind of moral panic thrown behind it, are passed up in favour of using this on people who blocked a road. Absolutely disgusting.
It’s because the Australian government is sliding into fossil fascism. They watched a quarter of their island burn and said “not enough”.
Facism doesnt need a prefix in my experience. Nor does this actually seem like facism and is just run of the mill authoratarianism.
Defiance is the only option when it comes to these authoritarian rulings. I hope Greg and the others know this.
Watafak, that’s not “extreme” that’s acting as if he was a terrorist in possesion of chemical weapons. This is surrealist. Fuck them all, fuck neoliberalism and fuck those fascists.
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Lol, no. That’s a very USA and guns culture centred view. Australia has weapons. We just don’t allow everyone to have them willy nilly. You need a licence and to properly store them. We see it as sensible and lament the deaths of all the USA children who die for so called freedom. It’s much more free here.
However this is a worrying sign of overreach. Luckily the USA has no such laws, like the patriot Act or the current proposal to register your address against online accounts. You know, to protect the children you’re all so fond of killing.
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The king doesn’t reset the government and him interfering with our politics would probably lead to more support for us to be a republic.
There is a balance between authoritarianism and sensible regulation. China is too far one way, the USA is too far the other way. Freedom comes from the abilitiy for more people to live their lives as they please.
Protesting is important. Protecting civil rights is important. Australia goes too far on quashing disriptive protest, but is tolerant of peaceful organised protest. Disruptive protest is more effective.
State-approved “peaceful protest” is not protest. This post is a criticism over the idea of state-approved dissent and isnt about condoning violence.
It still can be. However, it’s often just a demonstration rather than a protest.
