Chris Minns’ police unleashed pepper spray on hundreds of peace protestors yesterday. Today the Premier is the drawcard for an Israel business lobby lunch with ties to the genocide in Gaza. Wendy Bacon reports. 

NSW Police unleashed hundreds of pepper spraying police on protesters against his government’s sponsorship of a Defence Expo at which Israel’s biggest weapons companies were promoting their wares. It was an event the Defence Minister Richard Marles labelled “beautiful, menacing and extremely cool”.

Chris Minns – pepper spray for peace protestors one day, lunch at war-crimes-lobby the next

by Michael West and Wendy Bacon

Apart from 12 people who were arrested, scores of other peaceful protesters had their vision disabled for up to half an hour by NSW riot police who both deliberately targeted some people and randomly sprayed into the crowd. Mounted police and the dog squad added to the menace. 

But expressing ‘pride’ and ‘delight’ to be welcoming companies such as  Israel’s weapons manufacturers Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to the three day Indo-Pacific Weapons Exposition is not quite enough for the Premier of NSW. 

Defying critics of his own Labor party, international law and human rights experts, the Greens, the City of Sydney and a wide section of the community, Minns has gone a step further. Today he will be delivering a speech at the NSW Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC). 

The AICC has deep ties with companies involved in the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, is sponsored by blue chip Australian corporations such as ANZ and Optus and used to be chaired by controversial antisemitism Special Envoy Jillian Seagal.

As he has made clear this week, the Premier’s economic priorities include encouraging the activities of the weapons industry, no matter that their corporations are actively profiting from genocide and other horrific war crimes by Israel in Gaza. 

While the mainstream press remains mute on the Premier’s activities, discontent rises on social media. Eighteen months ago Zomi Frankcom was killed by a missile built by Rafael, said social media poster Ben McKelvey on X. “14 months ago former Rafael CEO Yoav Har-Even delivered a compromised inquiry into her death. Today Rafael will sell the missile used to kill her a few hundred metres from where she used to work”.

MWM wanted to report on his Business Briefing at which Minns has promised to bring supporters of the AICC up to date on the “key economic and social policy agenda of the New South Wales government for 2026”. But Deputy CEO of NSW AICC Lee Kelly told us the location of the Premier’s speech would not be disclosed for ‘security reasons’.

He is expected to find enthusiastic support from those who have chosen to pay $350 for a seat or $3500 for a group booking. 

Kelly told MWM that everyone knows the NSW government’s priorities and that the Premier will just give an “off the cuff’ speech meaning that there won’t be an official speech released. She said that she expected the Premier to  provide an ‘update’ on where his priorities are up to and then “there will be a Q and A”. 

The Premier’s office has instructed the NSW AICC not to invite the media. He will be “bringing his own media” including a photographer. 

The exclusive business briefing is sponsored by Gilbert and Tobin law firm and Scentre shopping centres group whose ex-CEO is on the Board of Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute which continues to exclude its star researcher Peter Macdonald from working in his laboratory. 

Minns has shown a penchant for lecturing others on social cohesion while he pushes ahead with one of his priorities which is suppressing the right to peaceful protest. 

However it is hard to think of anything much more divisive than delivering a speech at an Israeli Embassy supported event on the same day that Judge Navi Pillay will be delivering the Sydney Peace Prize address in Sydney Town Hall.  

As Pillay told the National Press Club on Tuesday,  “Under the Genocide Convention, every state  has the legal obligation to prevent the commission of genocide, to deal with the commission of genocide, and to protect against genocide.” She warned that the Australian government’s maintenance of ties to entities complicit in the genocide could leave it open to prosecution.”

No doubt as he enjoys the hospitalities at which ever luxurious corporate office hosts tomorrow’s private event, Minns will not be pressed on awkward issues like genocide. 

MWM put questions into the Premier’s office but we have not heard back. 

https://michaelwest.com.au/chris-minns-pepper-spray-for-peace-protestors-one-day-lunch-at-war-crimes-lobby-the-next/

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