New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has indicated he will only ban the slogan 'globalise the intifada' if a similar ban in Queensland survives a constitutional challenge, marking a significant shift from his earlier强硬 stance. Following the Bondi terror attack in December, Minns had vowed to outlaw what he called 'hateful, violent rhetoric', but the promised legislation has yet to be introduced.
A parliamentary inquiry recommended banning the phrase when linked to incitement of hatred or violence, but no bill has been tabled. Meanwhile, Queensland has enacted its own ban, also covering 'from the river to the sea', leading to dozens of arrests and a planned legal challenge by pro-Palestine groups.
In an interview with 2GB, Minns explicitly tied NSW's action to the Queensland outcome: 'If [the ban] is upheld in Queensland, I'll do it in New South Wales, I won't muck around.' He warned that a rushed ban could be overturned in court, leaving the state in a worse position.
This retreat follows a successful court challenge in April to another post-Bondi law restricting protests, which the NSW Court of Appeal ruled impermissibly burdened political communication. Minns had previously lost a similar case in October over protests outside places of worship.
Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey supported the wait-and-see approach, noting that Queensland's ban might prove counterproductive by encouraging defiance. Critics, however, questioned the logic of basing NSW policy on another state's legal battle, with lawyer Nick Hanna calling it 'extraordinary'.
