Queensland is set to outlaw a pro-Palestinian slogan under the sweeping new hate speech reforms announced by the state government in the wake of the Bondi beach terror attack.
Queensland will become the first Australian state to ban the slogan “from the river to the sea”, which has been widely adopted by pro-Palestinian supporters, should parliament pass the newly proposed legislation.
Premier David Crisafulli said on Sunday that the proposed reform would be introduced to state parliament on Tuesday, describing the legislation as a response to the Bondi terror attack, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration.
Under the proposed law, display of hate symbols, chanting terrorist slogans, or harassing worshippers or damaging places of worship could lead to up to five years in prison.
The ban on displaying extremist symbols would be expanded to include the Hamas flag and emblem, the Isis flag, the Hezbollah emblem, and Nazi symbols.
“We called this out from the beginning, we said we’d act, and through this legislation, we are delivering a strong and considered response,” the premier said.
“This is 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.”
The phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” refers to the territory stretching from the Jordan river on Israel’s eastern border to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The slogan gained popularity following Israel’s retaliatory war on Gaza, which has killed at least 72,027 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip.
“These sayings have no place in Queensland, when they are used to incite hatred, offence and menace,” attorney general Deb Frecklington said, referring to pro-Palestine slogans.
But activists argue that the phrases, including “globalise the intifada” are calls for Palestinian freedom and human rights, not incitements to violence or the destruction of Israel.
The slogan “globalise the intifada” will be added to the list of proscribed phrases under the proposed legislation, meaning anyone who displays or utters the words could face up to two years in prison.
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said the reforms would send a clear message that “antisemitism and hate have no place in Queensland”.
“Our community greatly appreciates the commitment by the Crisafulli Government to ensure Jewish Queenslanders can live, work and play just like any other Queenslander,” he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“This Bill moves beyond words and delivers real, practical protections for our community and for all people targeted by hate.”
