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
NO ONE WANTS TO DIE FOR ISRAEL
This is a John Farnham appreciation shirt! “TWO STRONG HEARTS. We stick together from the River to the Sea! Ruuuning free!” See. All good.
What a fucking legend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And yet now the Jews are the oppressors/instigators
What a world.
Zionists, not Jews, are the problem.
Even as an atheist I belive the main issue is not your belief, but what you do with it.
Props for sensible atheism as compared to “all & any religion is murder” atheism.
I wouldn’t get as far as sensible, but thanks haha
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.
No.
Sure AF doesn’t feel like “hatred”.
Does Australia not have freeze peach laws in general? Asking as an ignorant Yank.
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
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.
From the river to the sea is not per se anti Jewish, Hamas has said that includes killing all 1.75 million Israeli Sunni Muslims too.
Hamas has said that includes killing all 1.75 million Israeli Sunni Muslims too.
Got a source for that? I’ve seen you state it as fact multiple times now.
No they haven’t. You made that up
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.
We have a lot of laws and legal interpritation, but it isnt written into our constitution like the US.
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.
There are limits to it even in the us for example if you say something slightly offending about the president.
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
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.
You’re the voice we needed on this.
I didn’t expect John Farnham scholarship as part of this topic, but I’m into it.
One step ahead of you…
Oh fuck! I didn’t see this before I commented the lyrics 🤣🤣 that’s so classic.
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.
Anyone know how likely it is for her to be given the max sentence?
This protester’s charges have been resolved by their acceptance of an ‘adult caution’, so they won’t be facing any more legal proceedings over this incident. More details in my comment here: https://aussie.zone/post/30509630/21880036
The public prosecutor would need to prove the shirt was used to “menace, harassment or offence”. Even a mediocre defence lawyer should be able to have the charges thrown out.
A good lawyer will take it to the High Court of Australia and get the legislation thrown out.
OP is lying - she wasn’t even charged. She was given a warning.
She was arrested. Stupid enough, and a chilling affect on political speech
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I do believe this can be referred to as queen shit.
Wordplay with Queensland unintended.
From Canada to Mexico, Iran will be free?
Straight to jail, right away
Believe it or not…
What about if I wore a South China Sea shirt? Would I get praised or arrested?
Nope.
I don’t like it in a hundred ways but making draconian laws is not the way to have political discourse.
