Australia is beginning to look like a fascist state
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Warren
Hopefully not but we are in a time where common sense has left the chat 🤷
Dan 26
This shit is crazy. Do you think it will stand?
Artemis
Landon 205
Warren
Netanyahu was putting pressure on Western governments to do this a little while ago and here we are.
PIKACHU Prime!
And the Noose Around Every Australian Gets Tighter Not all at once, not violently and not in a way the average person can see. It tightens one law at a time, always justified by fear, always sold as “safety,” always rushed through when emotions are high and people are too distracted or too exhausted to pay attention. This new bill is another loop in that rope. Not because it targets violent people, it doesn’t. Not because it protects communities, it only protects some. But because it quietly shifts power away from the people and hands it to those who already hold too much. And that’s how freedom slips. Not by force, but by consent manufactured through fear. • First they tell you it’s for your protection. • Then they tell you it won’t affect normal Australians. • Then they redefine what “normal” means. • Then they decide which opinions are acceptable. • Then one day, you look around and realise the country doesn’t feel like the one you grew up in. The noose tightens when: • laws become vague, • definitions become elastic, • speech becomes permission-based, • bureaucrats replace courts • and fear replaces truth. It doesn’t choke you right away. It just narrows the space you’re allowed to stand in. Step by step, rule by rule and restriction by restriction. And most people don’t recognise the danger because they’re too busy trying to survive rising costs, rising pressures, and rising noise. This is how nations lose themselves: Not with a bang, but with quiet compliance. What’s your thoughts…? Peter Lyndon-James 🇦🇺
PIKACHU Prime!
Below is a summary: Ignorance of the law ("I didn't know I was not allowed to say that") is no defence. And that is the passage of the Australian government’s proposed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026. The laws will be used to criminalise legitimate criticism of Israel and silence pro-Palestinian activism. It will criminalise conduct that "intends to promote or incite hatred" based on race, colour, or national or ethnic origin—a lower threshold than existing laws. The addition of "national or ethnic origin" means you can't criticise Israel as you have been doing. Constitutional expert Anne Twomey warned this would criminalise truthful descriptions of Israeli actions in Gaza, such as displaying Picasso’s Guernica or quoting human rights reports, if they are perceived as promoting hatred against Israelis or Jews. It's always been an issue, and core to cases like Jayson Gillham, that action was taken on the basis of 'how they made someone feel.' “Globalise the intifada” and “From the river to the sea”, are two obvious examples of words that can send you to the klink. It even goes beyond the IHRA definition to equate criticism of Israeli policy with hate. The bill’s vague language (and the shift from “inciting” to “promoting” hatred) means that peaceful protest, social media posts, or academic discussion about Israel’s actions in Gaza could be deemed criminal if a “member of a protected group” feels threatened. That is, if a Jew feels 'unsafe'. It's a subjective standard which allows complaints from pro-Israel groups to trigger investigations into pro-Palestinian speech, even when no violence or intimidation is intended. It also grants sweeping powers to the Home Affairs Minister, AFP Minister, and ASIO head to ban organisations without parliamentary approval, based on secret evidence and political discretion, even if they have never broken any laws or presented any kind of a threat. The big two are Hizb ut-Tahrir (Sheikh Ismail al-Wahwah) and Al Madina Dawah Centre (Wissam Haddad). I'm not getting into whether these groups are even Islamic, bc that is not the point. Read the story of Troy. Australian Federation of Islamic Councils and other Muslim groups have condemned the proposal, arguing it risks collective punishment of the Muslim community and could be used to outlaw Muslim groups for political reasons. The broad criteria—such as “praising” someone who engaged in hate speech—could be used to target solidarity movements rather than genuine extremism. ECAJ has never got over the judge throwing their case against Wissam Haddad out of court. So now, they changed the law. A man arrested in Bondi 2 years ago for his “Fuck Israel Fuck Zionism” tee shirt had all charges dropped. Now, he would have gone to jail. The law treats such expression as “conduct” rather than speech, subject to police intervention and prosecution. Albanese wore a Joy Division T-shirt referencing Nazi brothels without legal consequence, but a protester wearing the same shirt at a pro-Palestinian march could face removal, investigation, or charges. The law’s real intent: disciplining dissent rather than protecting communities. Yesterday, the government conceded the racial vilification provisions would not pass the Senate, effectively shelving the core hate speech reforms, which makes it harder to ban groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir, as the threshold for designation now requires proof of inciting violence, not just promoting hatred. The government retains the option to revive or reintroduce similar laws in the future. The Opposition leader has also demanded she be consulted before a group is banned, to ensure no hate-filled Zionist groups like TLOZ or NAIN get caught up in it. Zionists are protected. Muslims, First Nations and pro-Palestinians are still fair game for hate speech. The bill would significantly expand visa cancellation powers in Australia. Under the draft legislation, the immigration minister could cancel or refuse visas for non-citizens who are associated with a listed hate group, have advocated or incited hatred based on race, colour, or national/ethnic origin, or have displayed prohibited hate symbols. These actions do not require a criminal conviction—visa cancellation could occur based on reasonable suspicion of such conduct, whether in Australia or overseas. This includes online statements or social media activity accessible in Australia. (If your mum wants a visitor visa to come and see you, tell her to delete all her social media accounts before she applies. The changes would apply to all visa types, including temporary, permanent, and temporary safe haven visas for asylum seekers. A refusal on these grounds would be permanent. Asylum seekers should take a good look at their socials too; you may be sent home. This comes at a time that an actual ICJ war criminal has been invited to Australia. As Shoebridge rightly says, these are laws based on what you think, who you meet with and how someone 'identifying' as a Jew says you 'make' them feel.
Warren
I will say it is kind of nice to have the problem so out in the open. A lot of people are now having these discussions openly and they weren't just a couple of years ago. I don't know what's going to come of all that, but it is nice that we can at least have the conversation at least for now anyway.
PIKACHU Prime!
Warren
And all of this changing the definition of what it means to be anti-semitic just makes people take a second look at Hitler. That's what you're seeing over here in America. Anyway. That's how crazy it's gotten in the last couple of years. But no one's more anti-Semitic than Israel because Palestinians are also semites. So there you go
PIKACHU Prime!
PIKACHU Prime!
Warren
Yeah this anti-Semitism thing is getting completely out of hand. And it pisses me off because my government claims to be for freedom and all of that shit. But we support lots of Middle Eastern countries with dictatorial or genocidal regimes.
Gordon
I guess that they had best build additions onto the jails there. Looks like they're going to desperately need the space.