Queensland’s 'from the river to the sea' laws likened to Bjelke-Petersen era

Greens MP Michael Berkman said police arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters for using the phrase “from the river to the sea” had “all the hallmarks of an authoritarian police state”, as criticism mounted over Queensland’s new hate speech laws. The state’s health minister, Mr Nicholls, was also forced to correct a claim about alleged Bondi terror attack gunman Naveed Akram.

“We made it abundantly clear that we do not support the words and phrases that were used by the terrorists prior to the to the Bondi massacre and the incident that occurred there,” Nicholls said; a spokesperson later said the minister “misspoke”, and Mr Akram did not use the phrase.

The laws came into effect yesterday after a parliamentary vote last week. They ban the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”, and make expressing or publishing them punishable by up to two years in prison where the conduct would “menace, harass or offend”.

Australia, Queensland

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