The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) condemns the unnecessary aggression and use of force towards protesters demonstrating on the evening of 9 February at Sydney Town Hall and joins the call for an independent inquiry.
The rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association are universal human rights, which have long played a role in protecting communities against bad governments or corporate actions, as well as in highlighting social injustices.
These rights are hallmarks of a free and functioning democracy, the right to hold governments and corporations to account must be protected.
As outlined in our position statement on the Right of Peaceful Assembly, the NSWNMA will always support the right of all citizens to peacefully protest and the freedom of assembly.
We will continue to defend these fundamental rights, just as we did on behalf of our members when sections of the Roads Act and the Crimes Act were reviewed by the current government. We argued against the introduction of the recent laws, raising significant concerns they would have a chilling effect on the right to protest. Once it became clear the government had the numbers to pass those laws, we lobbied for them to be reviewed within six months of being enacted. It is now clear that we were right. These laws are excessive and they must be reviewed as part of any inquiry into their recent enforcement by NSW Police.
Our union stands for peace and unity, and we encourage all communities to look after one another in solidarity.
