(an open letter that may be helpful for faith leaders, and congregations/ places of worship in response to the public announcements in Victoria regarding protest actions around places of worship, calling for the government to undertake wide-ranging and close consultation with leaders and members of all Victoria’s faith communities in relation to proposed legislation on protest near places of worship).
Dear Premier/Attorney General/Minister for Multiculturalism,
As leaders of faith communities in Victoria, we are writing in response to the Government’s public announcements proposing that laws be enacted to restrict protest actions around places of worship.
We agree that people practicing their faith should be able to do so safely, free from harassment, intimidation and violence. Acts of violence or intimidation against people attending places of worship or members of multicultural communities are abhorrent and should be treated with the utmost seriousness. However, instances of violence, harassment or intimidation in the vicinity of religious institutions are already covered by existing legislation, including provisions in the Crimes Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.
Public protests in Victoria or anywhere else should not be conflated with interference with the practice of worship or violent acts towards faith communities. We believe restrictions on the right to protest should be kept to a minimum because of the important role public protest actions play in helping to create a more ethical, just, peaceful and environmentally-safe society. For people of faith, participating in protest actions can be an integral part of living out our values. This can include participating in actions outside our own and other places of worship.
The Premier’s suggestion of ‘no-protest zones’ around places of worship is concerning. This kind of blanket restriction could effectively restrict the freedom of faith communities to express their support for social and environmental causes, from calling for an end to approvals of new coal and gas projects, to condemning child sex abuse by clergy, to standing up for the rights of refugees. Churches and other faith communities’ places of worship have long served as hubs for public dialogue as well as of worship. Restricting protests near them risks symbolically isolating them from democratic life and undermining their public mission.
We also note that many places of worship are located near common protest locations, including throughout Melbourne CBD, as well as in town and city centres around Victoria. Any restrictions on protests in these locations would have a serious impact on the capacity of all communities in Victoria to express their views.
We urge that, in your legitimate concern to protect worshippers, you do not introduce legislation that may have the unintended consequence of preventing faith communities from speaking out against the wrongs they see around them and from encouraging public dialogue.
Given the significant impact of the proposed laws, we request that your government undertake wide-ranging and close consultation with leaders and members of all Victoria’s faith communities.
Yours faithfully,