No new Russian embassy in Canberra: “Squat with a red hat” is leaving

Australia’s High Court has rejected Russia’s bid to block the controversial construction of a new embassy building near Parliament.

Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government halted construction in an emergency procedure – citing “national security” reasons. Secret Service agents have warned of the risk of espionage.

From a purely legal point of view, the law prohibits building any diplomatic mission on property – regardless of country. However, Australian politicians have made little secret of the fact that their actions are aimed at Russia, a particularly unpopular parliamentary neighbor in the area in question.

“Russia hasn’t been following the law well lately”

Albanese said after the Supreme Court ruling: “The court has made it clear that there is currently no legal basis for maintaining a Russian presence in the complex.

“There is no intention to give the property to another embassy. We will evaluate the intended use of the property, but we expect the law to be respected. Australia respects the law, Russia especially has not followed the law very well recently.”

After the verdict, he also removed the property, along with a “red hat” who had occupied the space for several days without permission. Russia says it is a security force. The man was installed in a construction hut on the construction site immediately after the einteichander Russian case for “possession of property”.

Due to diplomatic security, the authorities did not dare to force him out.

“Russophobic Hysteria”

The High Court of Australia, the country’s highest court, ordered people to vacate the premises on Monday morning until the case is referred back to court with more detailed legal arguments.

The diplomat in the compound was leaving in a diplomatic car shortly after the court verdict.

Russia has accused Australia of “Russophobic hysteria” for ending its lease of land in Canberra’s diplomatic quarter. The current Russian embassy is located in the suburb of Griffith and its operations are unaffected.

The background is a court ruling a few weeks ago. By this, the Australian government’s planning authority was barred from revoking Russia’s right to use a leased area in the capital’s diplomatic district, Canberra.

Citing national security interests, the judgment was summarily quashed. Prime Minister Albanese said the current Russian embassy in the suburb of Griffith would not be affected, as would the Australian mission in Moscow.

A permanent construction site disrupted the diplomatic quarter

The planning commission approved the lease of the property in December 2008, and building permission was granted in 2011. Russia contracted to complete construction within three years – but the new embassy building, which was half-finished, was never completed.

The planning authority finally terminated the lease, arguing that the permanent construction site disrupted the “overall aesthetic feel” of the diplomatic quarter and did not do justice to its “importance and dignity”. However, a court overturned the dismissal, which is why the law was passed.