The demonstrators who don’t give a damn about rule of law

The demonstrators who don’t give a damn about rule of law. By Mick Keelty, former Australian Federal Police commissioner.

On December 20, 2023, Anthony Albanese delivered an address at the Sydney Town Hall … George Street was closed by the NSW Police Force while about 500 demonstrators did their best to drown out the Prime Minister’s address. …

It was clear that many had attended the demonstration not knowing what it was about. Some were climate activists from Extinction Rebellion, some were there to protest against the war in Gaza and others had come just to take part. …

Demonstrating to hurt people, rather than for a policy:

In Melbourne we witnessed something never before seen at any of the demonstrations I have experienced in almost 40 years of policing.

Demonstrations at the National Gallery of Victoria in July last year featured placards bearing the name of a prominent Jewish family and the chanting of their name in an attempt by demonstrators to eliminate any link between Jewish community philanthropy and the arts. To me, this was a watershed moment.

I had seen these demonstrations evolve into a lynch-mob mentality with a total misunderstanding of their purpose.

There was no longer a pro-Palestinian objective. Instead the protests had evolved to become “let’s attack any Jewish connection to our city of Melbourne, including our art gallery”.

Should have nipped them in the bud:

On Monday night in Sydney, we witnessed something that should not go unnoticed. I am not speaking about the footage of the police responding to demonstrators in the crowd.

I am referring to the fact that since 2023 we have allowed these demonstrations to go unchecked as the numbers and the impact grew.

When people join in great numbers with a common purpose, the group dynamics are almost impossible to manage. …

The law doesn’t apply to middle and upper class lefties, or to Muslims (notice that they were the only groups at the demonstrations). The justice system is administered by middle and upper class lefties, and Muslims are their mascots of the day — so the virtuous can distinguish themselves from normies, and run normy noses in it:

To the demonstrators the rule of law has become irrelevant. Negotiations on routes for demonstrations are ignored and seen as a sign of weakness by the organisers. …

 

 Reminder: it’s against the law to touch, obstruct, disobey and resist police who are exercising their lawful duty.

 

While the footage of a police officer punching a demonstrator is unfamiliar — and highly distressing — to most Australians, let’s not lose sight of how we got here. …

We won’t be able to arrest our way out of this situation. I cannot imagine how any police force will be able to manage a crowd of thousands chanting “From the river to the sea”. …

We should not lose sight of the fact that the footage from that demonstration in Sydney is precisely what Hamas and Hezbollah want to see.

That circuit-breaker must come from the national cabinet and it needs to happen soon.