A total of 31 people have now been arrested for defying the Queensland Crisafulli government’s ban on pro-Palestine phrases.
Seven people were arrested at a spirited “Six words for a free Palestine” rally on 14 June attended by around 300 people.
Among those arrested was Indigenous activist Sam Woripa Watson, who was recently detained by Israeli forces as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Sam told the crowd: “So when I say ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine should be free’, I mean I have seen first-hand what the occupation does, and I have seen that it should not be allowed to continue.”
Under Queensland’s laws, Sam’s words are deemed antisemitic hate speech. Other people at the rally were arrested for either uttering banned phrases or displaying placards containing them. One person was held overnight because it was their second arrest.
Another flotilla participant, grandmother Helen O’Sullivan, was arrested over the phrase on 30 June outside the Brisbane Magistrates Court at a rally to support previous arrestees.
Previously 22 people were arrested during a weekend of defiance in April. One activist was also arrested at a student protest on the day the law was introduced.
Another person was arrested at a protest against the arms company Boeing for holding a placard reading, “From the river to the sea, Brisbane will be free of Boeing.” Police also raided a house and charged someone for displaying a banner that read, “From the river to the sea, come and get us Crisafulli.”
Potentially, all those arrested could be jailed for up to two years if found guilty.
So far, all of those charged have been arrested for using the banned phrase “From the river to the sea” rather than the also banned “Globalise the Intifada”.
Not challenging the use of this phrase, however, avoids the political argument about its meaning and effectively concedes that it is problematic.
Grace Tame has been attacked and ostracised for using “Globalise the Intifada” at a rally in Sydney. We should be coming to her defence.
As Solidarity goes to press, lawyers are planning a High Court challenge to Crisafulli’s laws, arguing that they infringe on the implied constitutional right to free political communication.
Hopefully, this legal challenge will overturn the laws, but as dismissed CFMEU officials can attest, the High Court does not always deliver justice.
The campaign against these laws on the streets must not only continue but be stepped up.
By Mark Gillespie
