Jewish man among first charged in pro-Palestinian slogan crackdown that reminds some of 1970s Queensland
Summary
Queensland police arrested 22 people, including a 73-year-old Jewish man, under new laws banning certain pro-Palestinian slogans. The laws prohibit phrases that could cause harm or offense, with penalties including jail time.Key Facts
- Stephen Heydt, a 73-year-old Jewish clinical psychologist, was arrested for wearing a T-shirt and chanting a banned pro-Palestinian phrase.
- The banned phrases include “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada.”
- Police arrested 22 people over the weekend, making a total of 25 people charged since the law was introduced.
- The law was created to stop language seen as calling for genocide, linked by Queensland’s premier to a recent terror attack.
- Heydt said the phrase represents a right to freedom, while some Jewish groups say it is not peaceful.
- Lawyer Terry O’Gorman compared the new laws to restrictive protest laws from 1970s Queensland under a former premier.
- Some arrested protesters also identify as Jewish and oppose the laws, saying they silence criticism of Israel.
- Police confiscated Heydt’s T-shirt during the arrest and the new law allows for up to two years in jail for using the banned phrases in a harmful way.
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