Pro-Palestine chant could lead to imprisonment under new laws

Advocates who use a pro-Palestine chant could face imprisonment under new laws to tackle antisemitism and terrorism that are set to be introduced to Queensland parliament this week.

The suite of reforms will include tougher penalties on the use of symbols such as swastikas, Nazi emblems, the Hamas and Islamic State flags, and the Hezbollah emblem.

They will also crack down on intimidation and wilful damage at places of worship, with penalties of up to seven years’ imprisonment.

The Crisafulli government plans to criminalise the public use of phrases “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea”, global chants used by pro-Palestinian protesters amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Premier David Crisafulli told media outlets the laws, set to be tabled in the first sitting week of the year, were necessary to protect Queenslanders and stamp out antisemitism following the Bondi terror attack in December, in which 15 people were killed and dozens injured at a Jewish Hanukkah event.

“We called this out from the beginning, we said we’d act, and through this legislation, we are delivering a strong and considered response,” he 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.”

Crisafulli said his government had listened to advice from the state’s Jewish community, which had called for stronger legislation to drive out antisemitism.

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said the Jewish community hasn’t felt safe for the past two and a half years, and was especially critical of the use of chants at pro-Palestinian marches, which he said incited violence and called for the killing of Jews.

“‘From the river to the sea’ is from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, there will be no Jews,” Steinberg said.

“Israel is the land of the Jewish people … what it [the slogan means] is to slaughter Jews from the river to the sea.”

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the chant was offensive, incites hate and exists to cause menace.

But the meaning is contested, particularly by pro-Palestine groups who argue the phrase calls for the liberation of Palestinian people, human rights and peaceful coexistence.

Justice for Palestine Magan-djin spokeswoman Remah Naji said the government should be paying attention to the conflict in Gaza, “not some slogans that call for the human rights principles to be applied equally in Palestine”.

A NSW parliamentary inquiry on measures to curb slogans that incite hate recommended banning the phrase “globalise the intifada” in a report last month, but did not call for a ban on “from the river to the sea” as it acknowledged the meaning was contested.

Asked to provide his definition of the slogan, Crisafulli deferred to Steinberg’s remarks.

“My definition is about taking action. And no one can say for one moment that the Jewish community don’t fear their lives because of what they’ve seen and what they’ve been subjected to,” Crisafulli said.

“[The laws include] two very specific phrases, but there’s no way it’s about liberation.”

The reforms will also include broader penalties for Queenslanders found guilty of assaulting or threatening a person officiating a religious ceremony, punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, and three years for impeding or harassing people attending religious services.

A new special case of wilful damage to a place of worship has been added to the laws, with a maximum penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment.

The announcement came ahead of a controversial visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

While the nation’s peak Jewish groups have welcomed the visit, pro-Palestine groups and the left-wing Jewish Council of Australia have labelled it inflammatory and divisive, with nationwide marches, including in Brisbane, planned to protest Herzog’s arrival.

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