Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Arrested Amid Controversial Chants in Brisbane

In an unfolding controversy, pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Brisbane faced arrests after chanting the phrase “from the river to the sea.” This incident followed a John Farnham flash mob event, which had similarly echoed the contentious expression.

On Saturday afternoon, approximately 300 individuals gathered in Brisbane’s city center to voice their opposition against the state government’s recent prohibition of two slogans linked to the pro-Palestinian cause: “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea.”

Despite the risk of facing up to two years in prison for either chanting or displaying these phrases, protesters defiantly vocalized them in the presence of law enforcement.

In response, police detained 20 participants, charging them with 14 counts of displaying a banned expression and seven counts of reciting one.

Queensland Police noted that the protest was largely peaceful, despite the arrests.

The song contains the lyrics “reaching out forever like a river to the sea”, but no one was arrested for singing along on Friday evening.

“Politicians and police have been bullying artists and activists for simply displaying the lyrics of this classic Australian song, and we let them know tonight that we won’t stand for it,” said Deb Cleland, who choreographed the dance.

Queensland’s banning of contested phrases

Earlier this year, Queensland passed legislation banning the phrases “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”, categorising them as hate speech against Jewish people.

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said in February that the laws were a “common sense” response to the 14 December terror attack, when 15 people were killed after two gunmen opened fire on Jewish Hanukkah celebrations in the Sydney suburb of Bondi.

Premier David Crisafulli said in early February that the laws were “about drawing a clear line — and stamping out the embers of hatred that were allowed to burn unchecked for too long — to ensure we protect Queenslanders”.

However, the chants — both of which are widely used at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Australia and other nations — have contested meanings.

The full saying “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a reference to the land between the Jordan River, which borders eastern Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Jewish organisations such as the Executive Council of Australian Jewry say the phrase “rejects Israel’s right to exist and denies Jews the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland”.

However, some activists and advocacy groups say the phrases are calls for Palestinian freedom and human rights, rather than violence or the destruction of Israel.

Following the Bondi shooting, NSW has also said it would ban the phrase “globalise the intifada”.

Though the state has received similar backlash, NSW Premier Chris Minns on Thursday confirmed his government was still pursuing the legislation.

“We can see how it operates in Queensland, but in many respects I think that hateful phrase has been exposed as exactly what it is,” he said.

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