freediver
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This is getting ridiculous
Pro-Palestinian group accuses Queensland police of 'overreach' after 'From the river to the sea' arrests
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-12/qld-speech-laws-protest-students-for-palestine-responds-police/106445318
A pro-Palestinian student group is accusing Queensland police of targeting a demonstration for the "express purpose" of using the state's new hate speech laws to make arrests.
Yesterday, 33-year-old Liam Parry was arrested for using the phrase "From the river to the sea" at an "unauthorised protest" outside state parliament.
An 18-year-old woman was later arrested in the city.
The contested phrase, which is commonly used by pro-Palestinian groups at rallies, was one of two deemed antisemitic by the state government last week and banned in circumstances where it could menace or offend.
Police say the woman was dealt with by way of an adult caution, while Mr Parry is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court next month.
It was the first time the new laws had been used.
'Total overreach'
Students for Palestine convenor Ella Gutteridge said she had never seen "riot police everywhere" at a student demonstration before yesterday's and believed they were present "with the express purpose of using these laws".
"The police were listening closely," she said.
"They were ready to make arrests and it was very clear that they came to make arrests."
The ABC put detailed questions to police about the arrests and received the following from a spokesperson:
"Police presence is standard at any protest to manage any road closures, to provide assistance, or direction where required to ensure public and community safety.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
The ABC has seen footage of Mr Parry using "from the river to the sea" in a speech, while the woman was wearing a singlet bearing the phrase.
In a speech to the demonstration, Mr Parry can be heard explaining to the crowd that there are exceptions to the laws, including if the phrases are used for education or in the public interest.
"In the interests of education, I want to explain to you," he said.
"There's a phrase that the government is banning. It uses the words river and the word sea ... the land in between these two bodies of water is the land of Palestine.
"The phrase the government is trying to ban is about asserting that the people who live between those bodies of water deserve dignity and freedom.
"When we say 'from the river to the sea' we are calling for freedom and liberation for the people of Palestine."
The government and members of the Jewish community have described both "From the river to the sea" and "Globalise the intifada" as antisemitic.
Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said it was "heartening" to see police enforcing the new hate speech laws, and that he disagreed with the explanation of the phrase in Mr Parry's speech.
He said the phrase "From the river to the sea" had been used to "intimidate kids and intimidate Jewish people in workplaces and on the streets".
"The Jews will be exterminated. That is what that statement means," he said.
Government says phrase can be defended
Speaking at a press conference in Bundaberg on Thursday, Police Minister Dan Purdie said there were defences to the use of the phrase.
"What we did was make it clear that we were going to stamp out hate," he told reporters.
"There are a long list of defences … you have to be using it [as] a term that is driving hate and calling for hate.
"So if it is part of education … or other defences that are in the Act … that's certainly the case."
Mr Steinberg said he believed the education defence should apply to the phrase being used in a museum or a classroom.
"Standing on a street outside Parliament House shouting that slogan, or standing on any street in Queensland, it's not for any other purpose than to incite hatred," he said.
Ms Gutteridge said the police presence had been "total overreach" and an attempt to intimidate students.
Mr Purdie said it was a matter "solely for the police" how the laws were enforced as they had been passed.
"As our police do, everyday across the state, they enforce the law," he explained.
He said he did not believe Wednesday's arrests had suppressed free speech.
Another Students for Palestine convenor, Connor Knight, agreed yesterday's police presence was "massively disproportionate".
"They came looking to arrest people, they came looking for a fight," he said.
Ms Gutteridge said she believed the charge would be challenged on the grounds the speech was educational and in the public interest.
Under the laws passed last week by Queensland parliament, the phrases "From the river to the sea" and "Globalise the intifada" are banned if used in a way that could cause a person to feel menaced, harassed or offended.
The new laws include both written and spoken phrases, including chants or placards, with penalties of up to two years in prison.
Ms Gutteridge said she believed people should be allowed to call for "freedom and liberation" for people in Palestine, adding it was up to individuals to decide whether the banned phrases would continue to be used at rallies.
She argued the laws undermined people's "fundamental right" to criticise Australia's foreign policy.
"I think these laws are illegitimate and they cannot stand," she told reporters.
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