By Millie Daintith
The Queensland state parliament has banned phrases such as “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea”, claiming they incite antisemitism and violence. Anyone found to use such phrases may be imprisoned for up to two years under the proposed laws.
“Intifada” is an Arabic word for “shaking off”, used to encourage resistance to Israel’s historical and ongoing oppression of Palestinians. “From the river to the sea” calls for Palestinian freedom in the land from the Jordan Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
Clearly, the LNP’s introduction of these laws aim to suppress the widespread opposition to Israel’s relentless destruction of Gaza, which has been credibly verified as a genocide against Palestinians by the United Nations in 2025.
The conflation of pro-Palestinian sentiment with terrorism or hate speech points to a lack of nuance in the broader conversation about criticism of the state of Israel. In a submission to state parliament, the Islamic Council of Queensland clarified the phrases as calls for “justice, democracy, and equal treatment”. The phrases make no suggestion of physical violence or attack of Jewish people. The statement also notes the interference with freedom of expression the laws pose.
It’s easy to overlook the severity of these laws with the distressing news cycle; we are so often desensitised to government overreach and kneejerk responses to quell “civil unrest”—A.K.A. protest or dissent. The stark reality is that these reforms are an authoritarian approach to silence valid criticisms of Zionism. Conveniently, Crisafulli’s government has not brainstormed an approach to tackle threats towards the Muslim community.
Only a few days ago, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed to Sky News there aren’t “good Muslims” in Australia. Polls have shown a recent surge in the One Nation’s popularity—a party that stands for blatantly refusing immigrants from countries that are “known to foster extremist ideologies” seen to oppose “Australian values”. She remains a sitting member of parliament despite several offensive statements and stunts targeting the Muslim community. Hanson not only represents but encourages hatred towards Muslim people, using the Bondi terror attack to further her prejudiced claims.
Claiming these laws are combatting hate speech is a farce. To combat hate would mean to support all cultural and religious groups facing unsafety in this political climate, which includes both Jewish and Muslim Australians. Crisafulli is turning a blind eye to rampant Islamophobia while he ticks off the wish list of the pro-Israel lobby.
This is merely an excuse to suppress valid censure of Israel’s violent regime and ongoing genocide and poses a serious threat to freedom of speech and political expression in Queensland.
Seemingly, freedom of speech only applies to that which is palatable to Crisafulli’s government.
