Farnham flash mob protests Queensland’s hate speech laws

Queensland Police arrested twenty pro-Palestinian protesters over the weekend, as the Crisafulli Government’s divisive new hate speech laws came into full force.

Hundreds gathered near Brisbane’s Supreme Court to oppose the legislation, with one group holding a banner featuring the banned phrase “from the river to the sea.”

Fourteen people were arrested over the display, while seven were charged for reciting a prohibited expression, as reported by SBS.

It came a day after hundreds of dancers dressed as music icon John Farnham for a “Farnsy flashmob” took over Brisbane’s King George Square to oppose the laws, singing a very similar phrase to oppose the new laws. However, no one was arrested in this demonstration.

The State Government drew criticism earlier this month after making an eleventh-hour change to its hate speech legislation to specifically ban the use of two phrases, “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”.

The expressions are used by some to show solidarity with Palestine, with one bearing a close resemblance to a lyric in the chorus of John Farnham’s 1988 classic, “Two Strong Hearts”.

‘From the river to the sea’ refers to the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and can be interpreted in vastly different ways.

Dr Deb Cleland, who choreographed the dance, said the flash mob wanted to “sing and dance our hearts out” to “show the absurdity of the new laws”.

“The Crisafulli Government is trying to stifle and intimidate Queenslanders out of publicly supporting Palestine,” said Dr Cleland.

“We will not be deterred from the fight to end Israeli occupation and end the genocide.”

The laws make it a criminal offence to publicly distribute, publish, display or recite the outlawed phrases in a way that causes menace, harassment or offence.

Offenders face penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment.

Brisbane artist James Hillier – known as Nordacious – told The Guardian he was shocked to receive a phone call from Queensland Police last month advising that some of his artworks had “allegedly been in violation of the new laws.”

Protester Jim Dowling received more than a call.

The seventy-year-old was arrested and charged for displaying the phrase “From the River to the Sea, Brisbane will be free of Boeing” on a banner during a protest outside Boeing’s Brisbane headquarters.

The company produces and sells aircraft components to Israel.

According to the ABC, he told a Brisbane court he intends to “plead insanity”, saying he “thinks the charge is insane”.

Premier David Crisafulli said the legislation was about “stamping out the embers of hatred that were allowed to burn unchecked for too long”.

“The Jewish community has been clear: Queensland needs stronger legislation backed by real enforcement to drive out antisemitism, and that is exactly what we are delivering,” he said in a statement.

Remah Naji, spokesperson for Justice for Palestine Magandjin, said she found Queensland’s new laws “extremely discriminatory”.

“When Palestinian toddlers are being abducted in daylight and tortured by Israeli forces, and when Palestinian mothers are forced to give birth and undergo surgeries without painkillers, Crisafulli is absurdly asking Queenslanders to watch our words lest they cause discomfort. We will not,” she said.

The Human Rights Law Centre said the Crisafulli Government would be better off investing in evidence‑based, community‑led prevention and education.

“These rushed laws will not improve community safety or reduce hate in Queensland,” said Arif Hussein, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre.

“Instead, the Crisafulli Government is turning the temperature up by passing laws which increase division, discrimination, and suppress peaceful political communication.”

Ms Naji said the flash mob in Brisbane was about singing and dancing to remind the world that Palestine will be free.

“Human rights and international law are too fundamental to be disregarded for the comfort of those complicit in the killing of civilians,” she said.

“Not only do we refuse to condone war crimes, we also speak out against our country’s involvement in apartheid Israel’s atrocities and illegal occupation.”