Australia's Tony Abbott Presses For Conscience Vote On Race Law Amendment Amid Free Speech Debate

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is being pressed for a conscience vote on a proposal to amend a race reform law amid the controversy over free speech spawned by the cartoons made by the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Prophet Mohamed, The Australian reported on Wednesday.

Fresh disapproval over the Racial Discrimination Act has emerged from the moderate wing of Abbott's own party with South Australian Sen. Sean Edwards noting Section 18C of the law which bans behavior that offends, insults, humiliates or intimidates people on the grounds of race. Edwards said this serves "to unreasonably suppress completely reasonable speech."

The senator cited the attacks at Charlie Hebdo offices in France earlier this month: "Anything that enhances freedom of speech — which has clearly got some traction around the world now in democracies — should be supported."

Other coalition parliamentarians also shared similar sentiments, with one who requested anonymity saying "18C was portrayed as a license for bigots."

"Now it's being seen as a shield for extremists that shelters them from scrutiny."

Some coalition members proposed that the words "offend," "insult" and "humiliate" be removed from the Act, or just the first two.

Others suggested a free vote on the measure proposed by Family First Sen. Bob Day, "which would effectively make the changes," The Australian said.

However, senior government figures said there were no plans to revisit 18C.

Last week, hundreds of Muslims flocked to Sydney to protest the negative media coverage of Islam and the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo on Prophet Mohamed, The Independent reported.

Fourteen people were told to move on from the rally for breaching the peace, but no one was charged. The rally was held without incident as demonstrators prayed on the street.

Some of the demonstrators in the Lakemba suburb, which has a large population of Lebanese Australians, raised placards with the slogan "Je suis Muslim" (French for "I am Muslim"). Others held up signs which read "Insult to one prophet is an insult to all prophets" and "Mercy to mankind."

The slogan was a response to the latest front cover of Charlie Hebdo which depicts a tearful Prophet Mohamed holding a sign saying "Je suis Charlie," a sentiment expressed around the world in commemoration of the 12 people who were murdered by masked gunmen at the magazine's offices.