More info on the Queensland laws: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/05/queensland-pro-palestinian-phrase-ban-river-to-sea-laws-ntwnfb
Just because something is illegal, doesn’t make it wrong and just because something is legal, doesn’t make it right. We need more illegal action against those who oppress legally.
Best example: the holocaust was legal, hiding Jews to save their lives was illegal.
Again, why does any country who is not Israel care at all about this? Does Australia have a military base there?
Exactly, half these people are bored with nothing better to do and should be working.
You can tell as they often are a collective with no common goal or objective other than ‘protest’. And it’s causing such division in our society with now a strong anti immigration movement cos people are getting sick of it.
And in the end everyone loses.
If you can get arrested and jailed for wearing a shirt saying “from the river to the sea”, that means your government is suppressing your free speech in service to the genocidal regime of a different country. Even if you don’t care about the genocide, the subversion of your democracy and your civil rights by a foreign power is something that any responsible citizen should be fighting against.
Best comment in this whole thread
SINCERELY - Thank you !!!
Again so quick to fire you assume that I disagree with you.
Something to consider though, we do have free speech in this country and its likely and this case (if challenged) will get thrown out. Update edit: she took a caution.
But also tell me how wearing a t shirt constructively convinces others to share our point of view? Quite the contrary I imagine others who don’t share the same opinion will go ‘avoid this person before they shout at me for having a different point of view’
And do you know a better way to make a movement in this country than if everyone is able to convince someone else to share (or perhaps just lean closer to) a common opinion/belief. So if instead of pissing off alternative points of view, have an open chat, you might change ppls minds. 1 million voices is better than 100,000 voices, and 25 million voices is better than 1 million. And an open chat is not wearing a tshirt.
But first people need to actually talk and listen to each other instead of shouting and hating each other.
You assume that I assume that you disagree with me.
Well, I am making a counterpoint to your comments about people having nothing better to do and not having a common goal as a collective. This woman achieved something extremely worthwhile, and she probably wasn’t working in isolation. She brought attention to an absurd ban on free speech, and by calling the government’s bluff on it, helped to reduce the chilling effect on dissent that such restrictions are intended to create. It takes courage, but the most effective way to oppose an unjust law is to break that law, openly and with as much publicity as possible. It draws attention to what is wrong in a way that an open chat simply fails to do. And how open can that chat be anyway? You say you have free speech, but when it gets you arrested with the threat of serious jail time, your freedom of speech is on very thin ice.
I’m not opposed to verbal persuasion, but it has limitations. Sure you might be able to convince one person of something in a face to face conversation. But that’s small fry compared to the influence of internet forums, which have become overrun with bots, paid shills, foreign interference, partisan moderators and hidden algorithms designed to maximize engagement and distort your worldview.
Sure you can try to change people’s minds and/or maintain a balanced worldview in that arena. But any large scale forum for talk tends to create delusion, division and outrage, by design. It keeps dissent in a form that is contained, monitored and manipulated. Keep talking by all means, but people like this woman are doing more to improve the world than mere talk ever could.
All I say to this is, if you witness these events you’ll see it is often students around uni age, or retirees, both with too much time on thier hands. You wont see the 28 year old mum of two, or the 38 year old fella trying to make it in banking. Cos they are at work, contributing to society. This very event was a student group.
This girl achieved nothing except getting a permanent stamp on her criminal record, and costing the tax payer more dollars.
This is why I say a more persuasive approach is better, it’s more effective and will change other points of view. Is it more difficult, I agree with you, but no one is gonna witness what happened here and go ‘geez I’ve been wrong all this time and now I’m gonna change my point of view’ so continuing it will always lead to a more isolated (but loud) group instead of a broader movement.
That’s why I say instead of going to a protest chat with your social group and respectfully bring up the issue, listen and have a respectful sharing of ideas, you might walk away with 3 or 4 more people leave that have changed thier point of view, and another 2 that have had thiers challenged, and are now closer to yours. That is far more effective than this entire event, and if everyone did this, you’d be amazed at the change that would happen.
By “contributing to society” do you mean stuck at work all week, too busy, too exhausted and too tied up by your financial obligations to ever dare to rock the boat in any way? These students and retirees don’t have too much time on their hands. They have ENOUGH time on their hands to get out there and make a difference, and I’m grateful for those that do. I would hate to live in a world where no person outside the ruling class is ever free enough to do such a thing, but that is the way things are going. I guess you’ll be very happy to get there.
No I mean going to work, paying your taxes, using your earnt money to buy things from other people is contributing to society.
Perhaps you work at a mechanic, and you fix cars for the removalist, who moves a banker, who manages finances for a fabricator, who buys a coffee from the cafe.
This is contributing to society and is what makes the economy work, without a strong economy australia will be a husk with no influence. So yes going to work is contributing.
And yes there is a whole discussion on financial obligations and people not owning stuff and being in debt to the hilt, but I’m not sure this is the right page for it.
with too much time on thier hands
“Too much”? Having time to fight for a cause is “too much”? Or is it that the rest of us have too little?
For the students, it’s their future on the line. What good does a clean record do under the boot? They have everything to win.
For retirees, it’s the most selfless thing one could ask for: to put their own wellbeing on the line for a future that won’t affect them as much any more.
The mom of two has more to lose than the retiree or the student. Her children’s immediate need for survival and care trumps the political objective. The 38 year old probably also has a family, or maybe they’re jaded and have given up on fighting for progress or simply don’t care.
But either way, it boils down to: Students and retirees have the time for activism, less attachments and the cause to make a better future. If they succeed, we all benefit from it. We should be cheering them on!
And giving censorship the finger.
It’s the right and privilege of our youth to be able to do things like this, and taking it away from them makes society worse for everyone.
Wearing a shirt doesn’t, but then why should the government care? The answer is they shouldn’t.
Punchinb nazis used to be cool. Now, when the forner victims of genocide pay that genocide forward, governments defend it, going so far as to prosecute their own for saying “I don’t like it”.
A normal government reply would be: cool, enjoy your angst. Instead, they spend money and energy on it which is not normal.
I agree with you they shouldn’t care about a tshirt, and if the case was challenged it would likely get thrown out, forcing them to make new laws.
To be clear, punching anyone is not cool, and it’s this kind of hateful thinking that makes wars. “Well it’s okays to physically hurt this person cos they think/believe/are different”.
It is this opinion that people on either side of the war effort use to justify thier actions, either it’s right to physically harm palestinians cos they are different, or it is right to harm israelis again cos they are different. That’s part of the problem not the solution, it will always make the situation of you punch them so they punch back and now your fighting.
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Let’s have a quiet conversation about bombing your family with white phosphorus. You can start :)
Mate I’m super sorry this happened to you. No one deserves it and it shouldn’t happen period.
My point however is the name calling as you did in the other comments on my posts and shouting at me, is not the constructive discussion that will start a movement against this. People will just tune out or worse yet actively oppose you. You will ostracise others and cement thier point of view. Which will disrupt the ability to build a movement against these actions.
If the citizens of the countries that can exert some pressure on other genocidal countries do nothing who will?
Your logic is no different to saying people involved in WW2 should have mind their own businesses unless directly attacked by the Nazis.
You also fail to recognise that, as history teaches, oppression somewhere in the world can quickly be exported to you country.
And most importantly, unless you are a soulless person with no sense of empathy, we should care about suffering anywhere in the world.
Before you get on your high horse that’s not what I said.
I said that a lot of these people are protesting without having a common cause on what they are protesting for. And that it is creating deep fractures in our society.
But don’t let a fact get in the way of your keyboard rage, grab your pitchfork, jump down the throat of anyone who you think is pro Israeli, and make sure to throw in a WW2 or Nazi reference.
Or perhaps consider that your response is exactly what I was talking about, and it’s this kind of rant that is dividing us.
I encourage a good discussion, sharing of ideas/opinions, perhaps you’ll change peoples minds but instead you resort to a “you’re wrong and I’m gonna call you names”
And for the record, I still haven’t said I’m pro war cos I’m not. What I’ve said is I am disappointed in the people in this country with how they have responded to it.
Wow, internet person… I never ever called you names or said you are pro-war.
I’d rather have a not-so-clear-about-the-issue protester than whatever excuse for doing nothing you are proposing.
Dont let perfect be the enemy of good.
You just tied my ‘logic’ to the thinking and people of ‘WW2’
That’s a form of name calling and not a constructive discussion point there. It was your way of suggesting that one of us is above or below the other.
And again I did not say ‘do nothing’ as you suggest. But again don’t let a good fact get in the way of your ranting.
But that’s fine, keep contributing to dividing society and in ten years time when half the country hates the other half, just remember you contributed to making it that way.
Half the country already hates the other half. Wake the fuck up!
You are suggesting that the half that has good intentions does nothing because they are not organised or clear about the motives.
Also, please stop fabricating ways to victimise yourself to win an argument.
Make your case instead.
What a great argument, the horse has bolted so crack the whip and ensure it never comes back.
Fabricating ways to victimise myself? I said you resort to name calling, which you did, and I called you out on it.
If you took the time to read past the first line, you’d see I have made my case, several times now. But your clearly disinterested and your aggressive tone suggests you would rather shout at whoever you think is different, than have a mature discussion.
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The Coalition were all about free speech when Andrew Bolt published a series of articles explicitly attacking and trying to humiliate named Aboriginal people on the basis of (what he decided was) their race. They tried to weaken the racial discrimination act. Brandis even said Australians have “a right to be bigots” - this was only 12 years ago. The double standard is breathtaking.
I’m gona jump in to defend Brandis a little here and say his views on these things are usually ideologically consistent. I don’t know if he’s been asked specifically about this case, but his response (if he decided to respond), would likely be worth listening to. Even if disagreeable.
Not at all shocking because it was never really a double standard.
The LNP exists to maintain the current power structures of Australia. If you in any way threaten that structure (based on Anglo-European patriarchal values) the LNP will be against you. If you uphold those values they will support you.
Cool ass lady
Are we ok with this people?
Obviously, assuming this is the whole story, no. Are there any planned protests? Is there an open donation box for this person’s legal fees open? Is there any other way in which the average person can help?
I’m getting sick of rhetorical questions about tyrannical governments, without any effort made to show people what they realistically can do to help.
Is there an open donation box for this person’s legal fees open?
Just had a look and found this one: https://chuffed.org/project/173177-justice-for-palestine-legal-defence
Are there any planned protests?
Justice for Palestine Magan-Djin (indigenous name for Brisbane) has announced a ‘weekend of action’ against the laws on the 18th-19th of April: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVvfrhOk20n/
Thanks for that info. Perhaps you could do a post to let more people know about these options.
Just be outraged online, bro, you’ll be doing your part.
yes, “we” are. How do we know this, look at election results.
No.
Sure AF doesn’t feel like “hatred”.
NO ONE WANTS TO DIE FOR ISRAEL
I got down voted last time for pointing out that “between the river and the sea” was the motto of the town of mosman park
It’s also a John Farnham song
One step ahead of you…
Oh fuck! I didn’t see this before I commented the lyrics 🤣🤣 that’s so classic.
Close. There are two potentially relevant Farnam songs that may have been conflated in this discourse. One is That’s Freedom, which includes the lines “From the mountain to the valley / From the ocean to the alley / From the highway to the river”. And the other is Two Strong Hearts, which repeatedly uses the line “Reaching out forever like a river to the sea”. Neither quite uses “from the river to the sea”, but together they give the same sort of impression.
I didn’t expect John Farnham scholarship as part of this topic, but I’m into it.
You’re the voice we needed on this.
Thanks, I appreciate that. But I’m just some random white dude on the Internet. The voices we really need are more prominent figures (including politicians) who can greatly influence their followers, brave anti-zionist Jewish people who can provide a clear counterexample to Israel’s false conflation, and the voices of the people directly affected by Israel’s genocidal activities.
You’re the voice we needed on this.
Oh sorry. I actually had to Google that just now to get it.
Farnsy’s not really my sort of music.
It was a subtle one by cdzero. 😂
Yes, if you change the words and the context, the meaning changes.
“From the river to the sea” is the rallying cry of various groups who want to destroy Israel and remove the people who were born and live there, even though the slogan doesn’t literally say it.
So maybe use a different slogan if you want something different?It’s not surprising that antisemites would also protest Israel, but that doesn’t mean we should stop protesting Israel. There’s nothing more to it. We should not fall for our opponent’s tricks trying to paint us as antisemites
I’m not saying stop protesting Israel. I’m saying don’t use the slogan that’s used by Antisemites, if you don’t want to be confused with them.
What’s wrong with shouting “Free Palestine, End The Occupation” instead?Because our opponents will always be nibbling at what we can and cannot say and we should resist and reject their bad-faith criticism. Our opponents are trying to paint us as antisemites. Your honest attempt at distancing ourselves from antisemitic groups has exactly the opposite effect: It legitimizes their criticism where it was never in good faith to begin with
I’m honestly just confused why people who aren’t antisemites would insist on using the first part, alone.
And omit the second part “Palestine must be free”, thereby creating the ambiguity of what they mean in the first place.Why concede that ground, though? It’s not about the second part. They will always find something. Stop playing their game, you can’t ever win. It’s in bad faith
There must be an Innuendo Studios video about this one, right?
Does Australia not have freeze peach laws in general? Asking as an ignorant Yank.
Its a very recent addition that creates some exceptions to australian free speech protections under the guise of combatting anti-semitism. Basically just the Israel lobby getting their personal laws.
Australia’s constitution has been interpreted by our High Court to contain an implied right to freedom of political communication. Restrictions on that right may be constitutional if they are (1) for a valid purpose and are (2) narrowly targeted towards that purpose.
The law she was arrested under was only passed by the Queensland state Parliament earlier this week (or late last week? I forget). It is definitely going to face constitutional challenge, and there is a very good chance it is ruled struck down. This is because the law literally outlaws two specific phrases from one side of a political issue, and is likely to be seen as stifling free flow of political discourse, rather than being a more “content-neutral” law.
This article, written by a constitutional scholar, gives some great insight: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/08/the-lnps-phrase-banning-law-is-wide-open-to-constitutional-attack-is-it-a-victory-for-the-people-or-a-smart-political-play
We have a lot of laws and legal interpritation, but it isnt written into our constitution like the US.
It’s about the vibe.
Pollies like to say free speech is “implied” when it supports them and point out that it’s not a right when it doesn’t support them.
It’s a funny ol’ system.
It’s complicated.
It’s not a constitutional right.
However, there’s a lot of case law that supports the rights of citizens to express their thoughts about governments. All levels all processes, with the exception of sedition, treason, national security, et cetera.
We do have strong defamation laws. There was a case a few years ago where a politician was found to have been “defamed” by another politician with respect to comments that were made.
We also have recently strengthened hate speech laws, which is the issue in this specific picture.
Finally spreading information that might compromise national security, and publications showing violence or other offensive content.
In practice, I expect that the situation is similar to what it was in pre-Trump America. However, it’s true that in theory the government could pass a law saying you’re not allowed to say anything bad about the government.
10 years ago any self respecting American would have pointed out how inferior our system is and that we don’t have any rights or freedoms. I feel like that imbalance has shifted however.
In short our constitution is boring.
There will be states, federal government will do this, states do everything else
Separation of powers, there will be a crown, legislative (parliamentary), executive (public service) and judicial (courts).
Then how to alter the constitution and add the ability to annex new Zealand and that’s pretty much a wrap. Nothing fancy like yous have.
Edit, forgot consolidated revenue
There are limits to it even in the us for example if you say something slightly offending about the president.
What a fucking legend.
It’s absurd. Like the British guy arrested for wearing a “Plasticine Action” tshirt.
This is a John Farnham appreciation shirt! “TWO STRONG HEARTS. We stick together from the River to the Sea! Ruuuning free!” See. All good.
From Canada to Mexico, Iran will be free?
Straight to jail, right away
Believe it or not…
You know, in the UAE, they have freedom of speech enshrined in their laws, too…
Are you implying that Australia has freedom of speech enshrined in our laws? Please could you point me to them?
What about if I wore a South China Sea shirt? Would I get praised or arrested?
I am literally traveling from the river (Murray) to the sea tomorrow. Very Aussie and quite legal down south.
