Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 2:37 a.m. No.24240047   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0054 >>0141 >>0177 >>0199 >>3830 >>3835 >>4408

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>>24235918

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Police defend actions after violent clashes with Herzog protesters in Sydney

 

Michaela Whitbourn - February 10, 2026

 

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Dozens of protesters have been arrested in violent clashes with police as thousands demonstrated against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, hours after a court rejected a bid to strip police of enhanced powers granted during his time in Sydney.

 

The crowd on Monday night, estimated at 6000, waved Palestinian flags and held signs critical of Herzog as they surrounded Town Hall, before 27 were arrested, 10 of them for allegedly assaulting police.

 

In a press conference late Monday night, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna claimed those arrested were caught up in a “contagion of groupthink”.

 

“Officers were being threatened, jostled and assaulted, and we had to enact powers to move that crowd on and direct them out of the CBD,” McKenna said.

 

It led to “a number of melees, rolling fights at times, and violent behaviour from members of that crowd”, he said.

 

Punches were thrown and capsicum spray was used on dozens of demonstrators as police moved the crowd away. Others were thrown to the ground, and some were trampled as police officers and horses pushed the crowd towards Bathurst Street.

 

The clashes came as protesters sought to march towards NSW Parliament, while police blocked the crowd and ordered them to disperse.

 

Protesters helped each other flush their eyes, while others were pinned to the ground or dragged into police vans.

 

In the moments before the rally descended into chaos and violence, Palestine Action Group (PAG) spokesman Josh Lees addressed the angry crowd.

 

“We’re going to take back our streets and demand freedom,” he declared.

 

“People are getting arrested and pepper sprayed in front of us … this is a bloody outrage.”

 

Lees told the Herald people were “bashed” and “attacked” by police as they tried to leave after being told to disperse.

 

“The police just started charging in with horses and pepper spray and [were] bashing people and arresting people, and they were telling everyone to disperse, but they couldn’t go anywhere because they were boxed in on all sides,” he said.

 

“All they had to do was facilitate a march.”

 

McKenna said he witnessed “the restraint” of the police, and protesters were given more than enough time to disperse.

 

“Lots of people did, in fact, leave,” he said.

 

“Those who didn’t leave, if they got caught up in something, well, they made their choice.”

 

He accused those who spoke at the event of inciting the crowd and said the previously co-operative relationship police had with the PAG organisers had changed as a result of the evening’s “disappointing” events.

 

“They’ve got some work to do now to build some trust back,” McKenna said.

 

The group plans to protest outside a Sydney police station on Tuesday afternoon.

 

In video posted to social media, a group of men pausing to pray are dragged away by advancing police.

 

The shocking footage was deeply disturbing and entirely unacceptable, the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement.

 

“Police are entrusted to protect the community, uphold public safety, and de-escalate tensions, not to interfere with religious worship or inflame an already sensitive situation.”

 

Another video showed multiple police throwing punches at a man with his hands raised.

 

People should not judge the videos “out of context, on their own” too quickly, McKenna said.

 

He said he was yet to review police body-worn video of the events.

 

“If things need to come out for the right reasons, we’ve got no problems in sharing,” he said.

 

“In the context of thousands of people being in a very confined space where leaders get up and say ‘let’s do the wrong thing, let’s march’ … those officers are in a very vulnerable, precarious position.

 

“I absolutely think the police actions were justified tonight,” McKenna said.

 

NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson, who attended the protest, said police were “brutal, unnecessary and violent”.

 

“I saw young women being thrown against the wall, Aboriginal people detained and tear gas used indiscriminately,” she said.

 

“The police were clearly emboldened to be violent. There is a lot of footage of dreadful police violence.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 2:39 a.m. No.24240054   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24240047

 

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Earlier, protesters held signs labelling the visiting president a “war criminal” and accusing him of genocide. “Isaac you are pure evil,” one read.

 

Some held bloody dolls representing dead Gazan children. Other signs depicted wanted posters for Herzog, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

Others brandished signs of Premier Chris Minns and Herzog painted with moustaches evoking Hitler.

 

The rally came shortly after the NSW Supreme Court rejected an urgent legal challenge to sweeping powers granted to police for Herzog’s visit to Australia. Justice Robertson Wright made orders less than an hour before the planned protest.

 

The NSW government quietly declared Herzog’s visit a major event on Friday under legislation typically used to manage crowds at large sporting events.

 

It triggered wide-ranging powers for NSW Police, including the ability to shut down parts of a “major events area” in the Sydney CBD and eastern suburbs, to limit the number of people who can remain in the area, and to conduct searches. The march to parliament was not an authorised route.

 

The major event declaration was not announced publicly until Saturday.

 

Minutes after the court challenge was rejected, Lees said the protest at Town Hall and planned march to Parliament House would go ahead regardless.

 

Australian of the Year Grace Tame condemned Herzog’s visit, earlier telling the crowd Australia was “a so-called democracy that punishes peaceful protesters like us, but welcomes a war criminal with open arms”.

 

“A man … who said, and I quote, ‘there are no innocent civilians in Gaza’,” Tame said, before leading a chant of “From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada”.

 

Labor MPs Dr Sarah Kaine, Cameron Murphy and Stephen Lawrence were at the rally despite Minns invoking the special police powers.

 

Jewish independent journalist Antony Loewenstein told the crowd Israel’s actions “endanger all of us, including Jews.”

 

“[Herzog] in Israel may be seen as a Labor-left man, believe me, he is an extremist, which is very mainstream in Israel,” Loewenstein said.

 

It is the first time the sweeping police powers have been used solely for the visit of a foreign dignitary.

 

“The Prime Minister of Australia invited another head of state into NSW, so we’ve got an obligation to protect that person and that was part of the operation tonight,” McKenna said.

 

The government said in a media release on Saturday that “we cannot allow a situation where mourners, visitors and protesters are brought into close proximity in a way that risks conflict, violence or public disorder”.

 

Had it been successful, the challenge to the major events powers would only have removed one source of potential criminal liability for protesters.

 

The PAG has also launched a pending challenge to separate public assembly restrictions, introduced following the Bondi tragedy, which remove legal protections for protesters who block traffic or pedestrians on unauthorised protest routes.

 

While crowds gathered at Town Hall, chanting “from the river to the sea, Herzog to the ICC [International Criminal Court],” not far away, snipers and a hovering police helicopter prepared for Herzog to arrive at a different ICC, the International Convention Centre, where he addressed an event organised by the Zionist Federation of Australia.

 

At the request of police the crowd at the Sydney ICC were held in place for 30 minutes at the end of the event, in an attempt to keep supporters of the Israeli president separate from protesters in the CBD outside.

 

Herzog arrived in Sydney on Monday morning and is also expected to visit Canberra and Melbourne as part of the visit.

 

His invitation came after the Bondi Beach massacre on December 14. The attack, which targeted the Jewish community, killed 15 people and injured dozens more on the first night of Hanukkah.

 

The visit prompted pro-Palestine activists to prepare for a nationwide day of protests to coincide with Herzog’s arrival. A United Nations commission of inquiry found Herzog and other Israeli officials were “liable to prosecution for incitement to genocide” for comments made after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/court-rejects-challenge-to-sweeping-police-powers-for-israeli-president-visit-20260209-p5o0md.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ8eNap3PPI

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 3:17 a.m. No.24240141   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0145 >>4411 >>4408

>>23978158

>>24235918

>>24235929

>>24240047

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame’s ‘globalise the intifada’ chant ‘distressing’: NSW Premier

 

JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS and THOMAS HENRY - 10 February 2026

 

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NSW Premier Chris Minns has labelled a chant of “globalise the intifada” by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame at a protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog “a distressing scene”, while One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce called for her to be stripped of her prestigious award.

 

Jewish member of Parliament, Julian Leeser, commenting on the “globalise the intifada” chant, said “what starts with hurtful words ends with hurtful deeds”.

 

Ms Tame at the Town Hall protest on Monday night condemned Israeli President Isaac Herzog as a “war criminal” and told the crowd he was an ­“inciter of genocide” who had “signed his name on bombs that were used to kill women and children” to booing and calls of “shame”, before leading a chant of “from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada”.

 

She called Israel a “right-wing fascist state” and said Australia was “still supporting them … because we are a spineless colony of the United States and we depend on their military might”.

 

“I thought that was a distressing scene,” Mr Minns said at a press conference on Tuesday following violent clashes between police and protesters at the Town Hall rally.

 

“You know … in the circumstances where six weeks ago we lost 15 members of the Jewish community to a hate crime, a violent terrorist uprising, that’s what the consequences of ‘globalise the intifada’ mean, a violent uprising in Sydney’s streets.

 

“I can only imagine what those families thought when they saw someone screaming it from the steps of Town Hall, the pain they would have gone through.

 

“It’s not a distant memory. We’re talking about weeks ago their family members were mowed down and murdered because they were Jewish. She can defend the saying. I thought it was – I thought it was terrible.”

 

Opposition education spokesman Julian Leeser says Liberal leader Sussan Ley, when asked whether Ms Tame should be stripped of her Australian of the Year title, refused to comment, instead saying that he wanted people to stop using the phrase “globalise the intifada”.

 

“I never want to see people, regardless of their faith, ever again murdered on our streets in a terrorist act. What starts with hurtful words ends with hurtful deeds, and that’s what we’ve seen in Bondi,” he said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 3:18 a.m. No.24240145   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24240141

 

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Former deputy Prime Minister, Mr Joyce, said Ms Tame’s chants to “globalise the intifada” were “unacceptable”, calling for her to be stripped of her Australian of the year award.

 

“You have a responsibility, when given an honour by the Australian people, to basically conduct yourself in a way that inspires the harmonious nature of Australia,” he told Sky News.

 

“I know she had a tumultuous childhood. We don’t deny that, but that is not a licence, therefore, to go on … and stir up the Australian people.”

 

“When we look at the actual narrative, she’s talking about the removal of the Jewish people. Now that’s just completely unacceptable.”

 

Opposition communications spokesman Melissa McIntosh called for the former Australian of the Year to “reflect” on whether she is being a “good Australian citizen”. “What was Grace Tame doing to reflect those values of being an Australian of the Year?” Ms McIntosh asked.

 

Ms McIntosh said she would not go “as far” as calling for Ms Tame to be stripped of her award but said her conduct should be investigated.

 

Later in Question Time, Ms McIntosh asked Mr Albanese why Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek had “refused to specifically condemn” Ms Tame for her use of antisemitic chants at the Town Hall protest on Monday night.

 

Mr Albanese responded that: “We need to not continually look for political opportunities from what is a devastating situation, we need to turn the temperature down.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/new-south-wales/former-australian-of-the-years-globalise-the-intifada-chant-distressing-nsw-premier/news-story/2ff1dbe01e97d72e48945afae2e26b36

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwYG78OPpXA

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjt_agkkgQ/

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 3:30 a.m. No.24240177   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0181 >>0199 >>3830 >>4408

>>23978158

>>24235918

>>24235929

>>24240047

Anthony Albanese’s slapdown for anti-Herzog mob

 

BEN PACKHAM and JAMES DOWLING - 10 February 2026

 

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A frustrated Anthony Albanese has warned violent protesters and their political backers that dealing with Israel is crucial to advancing peace in the Middle East, as he and the Jewish state’s visiting president, Isaac Herzog, seek to heal a years-long rift between the countries.

 

Mr Herzog on Tuesday night offered an olive branch to the Prime Minister after repeated flare-ups in bilateral ties since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, thanking him for his response to the Bondi massacre while lauding him as an “important world leader”. But Mr Herzog warned that the critical test of the government’s new legislative measures to crack down on antisemitic hate preachers would be in how they were implemented.

 

Earlier, Mr Albanese used the floor of parliament to slap down the nation’s hard-left over its ugly reception for Mr Herzog, saying the Israeli President deserved to be treated with respect as he gave comfort to the nation’s Jews following December’s Bondi massacre. “I will not, as a number of the crossbenchers have suggested, walk away from my support for his presence here,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister, who joined Mr Herzog at the Chabad Bondi synagogue on Tuesday night, expressed distress at the “devastating” violence during protests targeting the President on Monday night, calling for those involved to “turn the temperature down”.

 

Responding to a question by Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown in which she accused Mr Herzog of inciting genocide, Mr Albanese warned that the cause of peace would not be advanced “by people thinking it’s like a football team, where you have to support 100 per cent one side or the other side”.

 

While standing by his government’s recognition of a Palestinian state and its criticism of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he said there was a need for more “nuance” in the debate.

 

“There are two roads in the Middle East. One is for Israelis and Palestinians to walk the path towards a settlement which does require … a two-state solution,” Mr Albanese said.

 

“In order to do that you need to engage constructively with Israelis and Palestinians. That is one path.

 

“The other path is that a powerful state, the state of Israel, is in a position which we have seen for seven decades and the Palestinians remain an oppressed people. I believe very strongly that we need to engage with both Israelis and Palestinians as we go forward.”

 

Mr Herzog, who will travel to Canberra on Wednesday, commended Mr Albanese for his government’s efforts to stamp out “despicable” antisemitism, while signalling Israel would be watching how the measures were rolled out. “The test will be in their full implementation, and in the outcome,” the Israeli President said.

 

He said earlier on a visit to a Jewish school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs he was on a mission to improve relations with the Albanese government after “ups and downs” including disagreements over Israel’s right to self-defence.

 

“We have (had) many arguments about how they view Israeli policy – not understanding at times that we are clearly defending ourselves in one of our most difficult moments against the jihadi Islamic extremist Iranian empire of evil,” Mr Herzog told students and staff Moriah College.

 

“I know that the demonstrators and protesters who are cursing us – saying the biggest lies and misinformation against our nation – do not want to hear, but I believe that the silent majority of Australians definitely want to hear and move back on track.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 3:32 a.m. No.24240181   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24240177

 

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At Chabad Bondi, Mr Herzog told members of the Jewish community, including family members of those killed by alleged terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram, that he was overcome by sorrow at their loss.

 

“Their absence has torn a gaping hole in the heart of the Jewish people. We have come to remember. For Jews, remembering is part of our DNA. It is at the core of our belief system, it is a divine directive.”

 

Bereaved family members in the audience included vocal advocates Jenny Roytur, Sabina Kleitman and Sheina Gutnick, along with the youngest Bondi victim Matilda’s father Michael Britvan, mother Valentyna Poltachevchenko and little sister Summer.

 

After Mr Herzog’s address, he lit 15 candles – one for each of those allegedly murdered by the Bondi gunmen.

 

Empty seats were reserved for Chabad members killed in the attack: Tibor Weitzen, Alex Kleytman, Boris Tetleroyd, Reuven Morrison, Edith Brutman and Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

 

Beside the candles, Mr Herzog and Mr Albanese — donning a black kippah — sat with Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the spiritual leader of Chabad Bondi and father-in-law to slain Rabbi Schlanger.

 

The Prime Minister’s reception was markedly warmer than any of his other recent engagements with the Jewish community, and particularly with those most affected, while Mr Herzog’s praise for Mr Albanese’s leadership was met with applause.

 

It was in stark contrast to past criticism by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused Mr Albanese in the wake of the Bondi attack of pouring “fuel on the antisemitism fire” by recognising a Palestinian state.

 

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told the Chabad that those who questioned Mr Herzog’s presence in Australia “do not understand what it means to be Jewish”.

 

“They do not grasp that Israel is an inseverable part of being Jewish, that the state of Israel is not a distant country, it is an idea: the idea of the restoration of Jewish self-determination to the lands in which we first dwelled and which we defended thousands of years ago,” Mr Ryvchin said.

 

“It means Jewish freedom, Jewish self-reliance and the innate love and connection and responsibility that Jewish people feel for one another regardless of the languages we speak or the countries where we live.”

 

He said Mr Albanese’s presence at the synagogue with Mr Herzog was “an act of leadership and solidarity” with the nation’s Jews.

 

“Prime Minister, we are ready and have always been ready to toil with you to create a country where Jewish Australians can work, study, and create without exclusion, without fear and without having to discard our connection to Israel as the price of entry, a price we will never pay,” he said. “This is all we seek and it is what we deserve.

 

“Together, we need to end the lunacy where our children require the protection of the police, where for us to meet here today with our friends and family we require a security operation the likes of which this country has never seen.”

 

Their comments came as Mr Albanese’s hand-picked antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal said she had hoped the government would have implemented her plan to combat anti-Jewish hatred “faster” in the months before the Bondi terror attack, which she called a “turning point for the nation”.

 

But Ms Segal said she believed the Prime Minister had encouraged his key ministers to make her plan a top priority.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/israeli-president-says-he-is-here-to-get-relations-with-australia-back-on-track/news-story/cc86d335edf407329de5acff8110f5ac

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9uhrUAxYHg

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 3:40 a.m. No.24240199   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3830 >>3835 >>8810 >>8834 >>4408

>>23978158

>>24235918

>>24235929

>>24240047

>>24240177

Allan rejects protest ban as Victoria Police prepare for Herzog visit

 

ANTHONY GALLOWAY and LILY MCCAFFREY - 10 February 2026

 

A schism has opened between the Labor premiers of Australia’s two largest states over how to manage protests surrounding the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan doubling down on her rejection of protest bans in the wake of “distressing and disturbing” clashes in Sydney.

 

Ms Allan also issued a warning to demonstrators intent on causing hurt and division to Jewish mourners during Mr Herzog’s visit to Melbourne on Thursday to stay away, as Victoria Police prepares a “major presence” to respond to the planned protests.

 

As NSW Premier Chris Minns defended the actions of police in managing protests in Sydney on Monday, Ms Allan seized on the fact that only one arrest was made at the corresponding protest in Melbourne as evidence that Victoria’s approach had led to a largely peaceful outcome.

 

“The advice I have from Victoria Police is that despite the number, there was only one arrest. I think that does speak to an understanding that there is a right to protest, but it must be respected and it must be done peacefully,” she said.

 

Ms Allan’s government is currently seeking legal advice on drafting new laws that would give special powers to the Chief Commissioner of Police to stop or move on public protests within a defined period following a designated terrorist event.

 

However, Ms Allan has so far rejected calls to impose outright protest bans.

 

Declining to criticise decisions taken in NSW, Ms Allan said Victoria would continue to follow the advice of Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, who had not recommended protest bans.

 

“The scenes out of Sydney were, indeed, quite distressing and disturbing,” she said.

 

“It’s very difficult for me, as Premier of Victoria, to comment on decisions that are made to manage a crowd of that size interstate. But what we are doing here in Victoria is taking the advice of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, and his advice is that protest bans are not required here in Victoria.

 

“And we have seen that banning protests does not stop protests.”

 

Ms Allan said she had been briefed by Victoria Police on plans to manage protests in the coming days, warning that disruption was expected on Thursday.

 

She said Melbourne’s Jewish community was experiencing “deep grief and pain” following the “antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in December”, urging restraint amid heightened tensions.

 

“If you are planning to bring hurt, or pain or grief to the streets of Melbourne this week – then don’t come.

 

“President Herzog is, as head of state of Israel, coming to provide care and comfort for a community that is grieving the worst terrorist attack on this nation’s soil.

 

“So the President’s visit is coming with the intent to provide that care and support, and it’s also an opportunity for all of us to stand united against antisemitism.

 

“We cannot let conflict overseas bring conflict to our streets – because what we are seeing is communities that are grieving because of the conflict overseas.”

 

Victoria Police said it was “well prepared” for protests on Thursday, saying there will be “a highly visible police presence throughout the CBD to maintain public order and the safety of the community”.

 

“Victoria Police respects the right for people to protest lawfully, however we expect that they do so peacefully without impacting the broader community,” police said.

 

“Police will be prepared to respond to any issues if needed.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/allan-rejects-protest-ban-as-victoria-police-prepare-for-herzog-visit/news-story/d6c507bd1022f1e17a8a1d84fc2e4530

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 4:07 a.m. No.24240246   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0342 >>4616

>>23939229

>>24201399

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>>24218894

Ghislaine Maxwell will only talk if Donald Trump grants clemency, lawyer says

 

Brad Ryan - 10 February 2026

 

Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed accomplice of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, has refused to answer questions before members of the US Congress.

 

But Maxwell's lawyer says she will talk if US President Donald Trump offers her clemency.

 

Lawyer David Oscar Markus told the congressional committee she "would very much like to answer your questions", but she "must remain silent" because she is asking a court to rule her trial was unfair.

 

"Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump," Mr Markus told the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.

 

His written statement also said Mr Trump and former president Bill Clinton were both "innocent of any wrongdoing" but only Ms Maxwell could explain why.

 

Maxwell was asked to provide evidence as part of the committee's bipartisan investigation into the government's handling of Epstein's case. The probe began before Congress voted late last year to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.

 

Appearing via video link from a Texas prison, Maxwell invoked a constitutional right to silence to avoid self-incrimination, known as pleading the Fifth Amendment.

 

Democrats slammed the ploy for clemency from Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for grooming and trafficking girls for Epstein, some of whom were as young as 14.

 

Maxwell has exhausted her options to appeal against her conviction and sentence, but her lawyers recently lodged a habeas petition — a long-shot bid for freedom based on a claim of illegal imprisonment. She could also be released under a presidential pardon.

 

"She is telling Donald Trump through her deposition and that she is trying to buy her clemency," Democratic committee member Melanie Stansbury said.

 

"She is not being released from jail unless, of course, Donald Trump buys what she is selling."

 

Fellow committee Democrat James Walkinshaw described Maxwell's demeanour during the deposition as "robotic".

 

Republican committee chair James Comer said Maxwell's refusal to answer questions was "very disappointing".

 

"We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators."

 

Maxwell was last year moved from a Florida prison to a lower-security Texas facility after she met with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche. At the time, Mr Trump denied he had been asked to grant clemency to Maxwell.

 

"I'm allowed to do it, but nobody's asked me to do it," he said.

 

Democrats have called on the president to rule out pardoning Maxwell.

 

"She is campaigning over and over again to get that pardon from President Trump, and this president has not ruled it out," Mr Walkinshaw said.

 

"And so that is why she's continuing to not cooperate with our investigation. The reality is she is a monster, she should be behind bars, she should stay there."

 

Interest in Maxwell's testimony was intensified by the recent publication of millions of documents from the Epstein files.

 

The documents' release has resulted in a flood of revelations about the powerful men in Epstein's circles, but survivors and others have criticised a decision to withhold millions more documents that were initially flagged for possible release.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/ghislaine-maxwell-will-only-talk-if-trump-grants-clemency/106324720

 

https://x.com/domarkus/status/2020882509525893536

Anonymous ID: d9db94 Feb. 10, 2026, 4:13 a.m. No.24240263   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4532

>>23939208

>>23964240

Wells demands urgent meeting with Roblox over child exploitation reports

 

JACK QUAIL - 10 February 2026

 

Roblox, the $66bn online gaming site with a dedicated pre-teen following, is under growing pressure to respond to reports that children accessing its platform have been exposed to online grooming and sexual exploitation.

 

Communications Minister Anika Wells has written to the company expressing her “grave concern” over the revelations, demanding an urgent meeting to discuss the efforts the US-based company has taken to improve safety.

 

While Labor recently introduced its world-first ban on ­children aged under 16 from ­accessing social media sites, ­Roblox’s predominant function as a gaming platform has allowed it to sidestep the new restrictions.

 

Instead, Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety ­Commission, has worked with Roblox over the past two years to develop and implement additional child-­specific safety measures on the platform.

 

But on Monday, Ms Wells warned that ­issues on the site, including grooming and access to explicit material, appeared to have ­persisted.

 

“This is untenable, and these issues are of deep concern to many Australian parents and carers,” Ms Wells wrote in a letter to Roblox that requested a meeting.

 

Ms Wells said she was seeking to ascertain from Roblox what measures it had implemented to restrict children from engaging with “high-impact” content, its attempts to introduce age ­assurance processes, and the restrictions in place to prevent adults from contacting children.

 

In a statement, a Roblox spokesman flagged the company would comply with Ms Wells’ request and co-operate with law enforcement on any investigations into the platform.

 

“Roblox has robust safety policies and processes to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms, and advanced safeguards that monitor for harmful content and communications,” he said, noting Roblox’s existing safety protections.

 

“While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we continue to strengthen protections to help keep users safe.”

 

Separately, Ms Wells has written to the Classification Board to question whether the site’s PG rating remains appropriate, and has also sought advice from ­eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on potential measures to strengthen oversight of the platform.

 

The demand that Roblox detail its efforts to keep children safe come after Ms Inman Grant last week notified the platform her office would test its previous commitments to protect its youngest users.

 

“We remain highly concerned by ongoing reports regarding the exploitation of children on the Roblox service, and exposure to harmful material,” Ms Inman Grant said.

 

Among the safety measures Roblox implemented late last year are new tools that prevent adult users from contacting under 16s without parental consent, and ensuring chat functions within games are switched off by default.

 

Any failure by Roblox – which counts 151.5 million active daily users – to meet its compliance obligations could result in the platform being fined as much as $49.5m.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/wells-demands-urgent-meeting-with-roblox-over-child-exploitation-reports/news-story/c85383b73e2196aebcb56661abca41e6

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIixXuK1neM