Queensland arrests over 'from the river to the sea' phrase spark backlash
Mar 12th 2026
Queensland's newly enacted hate speech laws, which ban two pro-Palestinian slogans in certain contexts, led to arrests at a protest and prompted comparisons to past anti-protest regimes as politicians and student groups reacted.
- Queensland's new hate speech laws ban the slogans "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada" when their use would "menace, harass or offend".
- The laws took effect yesterday after passing parliament last week and carry penalties of up to two years in prison.
- Police arrested a 33-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman for using the phrase; the man will appear in court and the woman received an adult caution.
- Greens MP Michael Berkman and other critics compared the arrests to an authoritarian or Bjelke-Petersen era crackdown on protest.
- Deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie defended enforcement as applying the law while student groups and the National Union of Students said the measures intimidate and threaten free speech.