Victorian socialist Nahui Jimenez calls for defunding police and scrapping ‘racist’ laws

A young Australian politician is campaigning for police to be defunded after claiming officers were harassing people of color – but others claimed she needed a ‘spoon of reality check’.

Nahui Jimenez, a member of the Victorian Socialist Party, called on voters to fight to defund the police after the state recorded the highest police budget in the country at $3.9 billion between 2022 and 2023.

The 26-year-old Brunswick candidate claimed police harassed homeless people and people of color without consequence in a video shared to the Victorian Socialists’ TikTok account on November 23.

“We have to fight to defund the police,” Jimenez said.

“You have probably seen the police harassing homeless people and people of color without any consequences and pepper spraying anti-racism protesters.

“Victoria is Australia’s highest budgeted police state, their budget has doubled while spending on almost everything else has gone down.”

Jimenez called for the decriminalization of harmless drugs, including cannabis, and pushed to abolish drunkenness laws, which she called “racist”.

She said the Victorian Socialists were the only party aiming to fight police defunding and if elected the party would focus on funneling ‘senseless funds’ to social services.

“If you want to fight cop defunding, you have to vote for a Victorian socialist,” Jimenez said.

“If you were at the Black Lives Matter rally, if you’ve ever been affected by blackness and police custody, you know how important it is to have a voice in parliament fighting to defund the police.”

The video, which received more than 16,000 views and over 270 comments, has Australians divided, with many saying the political hopeful has “no idea”.

“Who is going to tell him that the police do not make the laws, they simply apply them. So defunding them won’t change anything,’ one user wrote.

Another user commented: “Gurl [sic] you need a dollop of reality.

“You can tell she has no idea what she’s talking about. Defunding the police does not solve or help the problems,’ another person wrote.

“The police do not write laws, but enforce them. Funding will lead to increased crime (more complaints), worse training, worse equipment and understaffing,’ a fourth added.

Jimenez claimed officers were harassing homeless people and people of color without consequences and urged the state to scrap ‘racist’ laws, including weed and drunkenness laws (pictured, Victorian Police at outside the MCG in Melbourne)

The Victorian Socialist Party received 52,336 votes, with 1.39% having elected the party as their first choice.

The Victorian Socialists, which formed in 2018, are one of Victoria’s largest and fastest growing minor parties with the youngest candidates in the state.

The party campaigns on an anti-capitalist and pro-community message and has organized protests including the rally in defense of abortion rights in Melbourne following the cancellation of Roe v Wade.

It comes after Daniel Andrews won a historic third term as Premier of Victoria on November 26, despite a minor swing against Labour.

His government will retain its majority, with analysts predicting the party will win 56 seats – one more than its 2018 electoral landslide and well above the 45 it needed to retain a majority in the lower house.

The divisive prime minister’s victory comes despite his hardline Covid policy which saw Melbourne endure a cumulative 263 days of stay-at-home orders, making it the most locked-down city in the world.

Mr Andrews’ vaccination mandates infuriated some workers but were accepted by most – and his government campaigned on promises of free kindergarten and renewable energy.

Jimenez explained that the state should channel the ‘insane funds’ – $3.9 billion, which is the highest in the country – from the police to social services (pictured, police arresting a protester at St Kilda Beach, Victoria)