Australian Ex-Attorney General Urges Protest Bans Outside Synagogues

Mark Dreyfus tells antisemitism inquiry buffer-zone laws used at abortion clinics should extend to Jewish sites

Former Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus called on governments to consider banning protests outside synagogues and Jewish schools, telling a royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion that the country should look to laws already used to restrict demonstrations near abortion clinics, the Guardian reported.

The federal Labor backbencher pointed to a 2019 High Court decision that upheld Victorian and Tasmanian "safe access zone" laws, which bar protests within 150 meters of abortion clinics, as a possible model for protecting Jewish institutions.

Dreyfus also described being targeted with antisemitic abuse himself, saying he had been labeled a "genocidal Zionist," according to the Guardian.

His testimony adds to a growing debate in Australia over how far governments should go to curb protests that Jewish community members say have made them feel unsafe outside their places of worship and schools. The royal commission is examining antisemitism and social cohesion more broadly, gathering testimony from public figures and community members about the toll of rising hostility.

— Compiled from reporting by the Guardian.