Australia Passes Anti-Hate Speech and Gun Laws After Bondi Beach Gun Attack

Australia Passes Anti-Hate Speech and Gun Laws After Bondi Beach Gun Attack


MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Australia´s Parliament on Tuesday passed anti-hate speech and gun laws proposed after two shooters killed 15 people at a Jewish festival in Sydney last month in an attack that authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group.

The gun laws create new restrictions on gun ownership and create a government-funded buyback program to compensate people forced to hand in their firearms.

Anti-hate speech laws enable groups that don´t fit Australia´s definition of a terrorist organization, such as the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, to be outlawed. Hizb ut-Tahrir is already outlawed by some countries.

The government had initially planned a single bill, but separated the issues into two bills introduced to the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Both bills

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