Labor Premier Chris Minns is today rolling out a police force unit heavily armed with military style rifles, which Commissioner Mal Lanyon says will “be a deterrent for those who wish to commit harm, incite hatred or cause fear.”
Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said:
“This is by definition an intimidation unit. It’s an escalation in state violence.
“After everything we know about the impossibility of defining and judging the inciting of hate and community division, I’m shocked that the Commissioner of Police would blatantly state that this unit is about intimidation.
“It’s political failure of the Minns Labor Government that they will now wave weapons of death around our streets and put the fear of police violence into our communities. To believe you can intimidate your way to community cohesion is authoritarian and draconian.
“I’m alarmed by the commentary of Commissioner Mal Lanyon that the threat of being shot by police should act as a deterrent to ‘harm’ or ‘hatred’. We know police intend to use these long arm rifles at peaceful protest and I am astounded by the attitude of our most senior police officer,
“The Supreme Court has been clear that deterring political speech which may be offensive or confronting is not a legitimate public policy purpose under our Constitution. If you can’t deter it with anti protest laws, you most certainly should not try and deter it with guns,
“NSW Labor claim to care about reducing gun violence when they attack the Liberals, but here they are sending more long arm rifles into circulation in a move that proves the Minns Labor Government cares about political point scoring more than community safety,” Ms Higginson said.
