No glue, chains or locks: Victoria’s antisemitism crackdown a smokescreen to target climate protesters, critics say

A police officer uses capsicum spray in Melbourne. A lawyer says people using face coverings to protect against the spray at protests could fall foul of planned new state laws to combat antisemitism. Photograph: Chris Hopkins/Getty Images

The Victorian government has been accused of “shoehorning” new anti-protest measures that could be used to crack down on the climate movement into reforms touted as necessary to combat antisemitism.

On Tuesday, Jacinta Allan announced a suite of legislative proposals to crack down on what the premier said was antisemitism and extremism at protests. The proposals were announced in the wake of an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.