Australia debates new laws to restrict hate and suspend protests

Responding to a deadly terrorist attack, authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales promised on Dec 19 to introduce a law that would give officials enormous powers to restrict speech and assembly.

The proposed law joins a series of restrictions that have been floated at the federal and state levels in recent days: to further tighten gun laws, to crack down harder on hate speech, to adopt new measures against anti-Semitism and to expand deportation as a tool of punishment.