"That is a really alarming precedent. It is the sort of thing we...

"That is a really alarming precedent. It is the sort of thing we would expect in an authoritarian or totalitarian country. It is not what we would expect from the United States or a similar country like Australia."

I think you just contradicted yourself there.
Any illusions that the west has ever been 'free' or 'democratic' are just that, illusions. It's only now that the façade is falling apart right in front of our noses that people are able to finally figure out that the differences between 'our' government and the governments of more overt tyranny are not as great as what we were told to believe.

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater. - Frank Zappa